good Trouble
by Helena's Mangos
Summary: Felicity has had a crush on Oliver since Freshman year, so when he invites her to a party, she goes. There, she meets Sara and is inexplicably drawn to her. HS AU. Sara/Felicity. Smoaking Canary. Chapter 4 is rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Title stolen from the new Fosters spin-off show on Freeform. Chapter titles come from Welles' song 'Seventeen'**

good Trouble

Part I: When I was young I was far-out

The crunch of gravel underneath rubber tires filled her ears as Felicity steered her car around the massive marble fountain at the head of the long private driveway. She tried not to gape at its lavishness as she parked her old, beat-up Volkswagen Beetle behind a shiny black Mercedes.

Already, Felicity was second-guessing her decision to come to Tommy's party. Oliver probably hadn't even been serious when he had invited her, likely assuming she wouldn't come anyway, but Curtis had talked her into going. "After all," he had said, "Oliver _did_ invite you, whether he was serious or not, and you _have_ had a crush on him since freshman year"; it was an opportunity that she really couldn't pass up.

When they had been assigned as lab partners in Biology this year, Felicity had indulged herself in letting her imagination run wild with possibilities. Maybe Oliver would finally notice her and it would be like some teen movie where the rich, popular guy fell in love with the penniless, geeky girl.

While she had allowed herself to fantasize, she hadn't honestly thought that it could actually happen. Oliver Queen was Starling High School's most sought after bachelor – attractive, athletic, smart, and rich. He ticked all of the boxes for most girls, and most girls were definitely aware of that fact.

He could have any girl he wanted, so why would he ever want Felicity? _Felicity_ certainly knew her self-worth; she wasn't lacking in self-esteem, by any means. She knew she was smarter than most of her peers, with an aptitude for computer science; she had a good sense of humor, and was for the most part confident and brave. However, to guys like Oliver, that wasn't enough. Guys like Oliver valued looks, popularity, and money above all else.

"You're already here," she mumbled to herself, "you might as well go in."

Standing from the car, she smoothed out the wrinkles on her light-wash denim shorts and gave herself one last glance-over in her side-view mirror. She looked pretty good. She had opted for contacts over glasses and had even put on some mascara and a shiny pink lip gloss. It was more effort than what she did for school, but still casual; still her. She tightened her standard practical ponytail and took a deep breath, turning toward the mansion.

Felicity let herself in after a quick, perfunctory knock (she figured no one would answer, but still felt it necessary to be polite). Following the sound of loud chatter and music, she made her way through the Merlyn mansion, struggling to keep her gawking to a minimum. The hallway led directly to the kitchen, and fortunately, Oliver was there, leaning against the massive marble-topped kitchen island in the midst of conversation with Tommy.

She stood in the entryway, waiting for Oliver to glance her way. When he finally did, Felicity caught his eye and smiled, waving nervously at him. Surprise washed over Oliver's face, and her smile immediately faltered. Eyebrow raised and smile slightly forced, he nodded once to acknowledge her presence and then turned back to Tommy, laughing at whatever his friend was saying.

 _Shit._ She knew it! He never expected her to actually show up, and now she looked like a complete and utter idiot.

Panicking slightly, she scanned the room for familiar faces and found none. Well, no, the faces were all familiar. She knew _of_ most of the people here, but she did not exactly run in the same social circles as any of them. They definitely wouldn't know _her._ With a sinking feeling in her gut, Felicity concluded that coming here had been a huge mistake. Oliver _didn't_ want her here. He had only invited her to be polite. She shook her head at how stupid she was, pulled out her phone, and quickly tapped out a text to her best friend.

To Curtis (10:15 p.m.)

 _I'm going to kill you._

From Curtis (10:15 p.m.)

 _That bad?_

She wondered if it would be obvious if she just left, if Oliver would even notice her absence. It would be humiliating to have to explain why she left almost as soon as she had arrived. She stood awkwardly against the kitchen wall, painfully aware of how alone and out-of-place she felt, and began to calculate how long she should stay to avoid that potentially awkward conversation in Bio on Monday.

To Curtis (10:16 p.m.)

 _I'll tell you about it later_

She scrolled through Instagram to pass some time and make herself look occupied as she internally warred with herself about what she should do. Embarrassingly, she felt the sting of tears in the corner of her eyes. How could she have been so stupid?

She'd think of some sort of explanation for bolting. Staying now would be much more excruciating than an uncomfortable conversation during class on Monday. And there was always the chance he wouldn't even ask her about it anyway.

She turned to leave, but it was at that exact moment that Sara Lance came barreling into the room, effectively blocking Felicity's exit.

"Comin' through," she announced loudly with a smile plastered to her face as she wove around the kitchen, hauling a case of beer in each hand. When she made it to the refrigerator, she shoved one case inside onto a low shelf and then settled the other onto the floor against the wall.

Sara grabbed an already chilled beer from the shelf above where she had stashed the case and straightened up, turning to face the rest of the room. A group of girls who were settled into a breakfast nook in front of a large bay window called greetings to her with smiles and waves. She smiled 'hello' in return as her eyes passed over them and settled on Felicity, still awkwardly hunched in the corner by the doorway. Their eyes met, as Sara had drawn Felicity's attention when she came bursting into the room moments before and Felicity had yet to turn away. Even though she quickly averted her eyes back to her phone, she didn't miss the slow smirk that had crept across Sara's face.

She stepped past Oliver and Tommy, patting Oliver on the arm and nodding 'hello' to them on her way to the lonely blonde.

"Ahh, who's this?" Sara asked with a nod toward Felicity, loud enough to be addressing the entire room, but her eyes locked with Felicity's. It was unclear to Felicity, to whom exactly the question was directed.

Over Sara's shoulder, Felicity saw Oliver glance at them. She hesitated, wondering if Oliver would finally properly acknowledge her presence (the result of _his_ invitation!) and introduce her to Sara. When he didn't, instead leaving the room with Tommy, Felicity's blue eyes returned to Sara's.

She smiled nervously at her, hoping the other girl wouldn't call her out for crashing their party. "Oh, um. I'm Felicity." She paused wondering if that was enough, and then decided to clarify, "Smoak. Felicity Smoak. We go to school together; actually we have Lit together third period. With Mr. Berlanti. Well obviously you know that. Oh! You're probably wondering why I'm here. I'm not crashing or anything; I was invited. Oliver Queen invited me. You see, we're lab partners in Bio this year, and so he must have felt sorry for me and gave me a pity invite or something."

Felicity rambled, unable to stop herself even as she watched Sara's smirk morph into a curious grin, head tilting slightly to the side as she observed Felicity with sparkling eyes. She pursed her lips at the mention of Oliver's invitation, and then her expression changed to one of sympathetic understanding, as she broke eye contact with Felicity to look at the now vacant space Oliver and Tommy had occupied moments before.

When Felicity finished, she inhaled deeply, feeling slightly out of breath. Sara squinted at her, grin still in place as she said, "You're cute." She nodded toward the fridge. "You wanna beer?"

Felicity blushed slightly at the unexpected compliment, unsure if she should take it as such, or interpret it as a condescending evaluation of her unfortunate tendency to ramble in awkward situations. Sara had said it so matter-of-factly, though, that Felicity believed she was sincere.

"Sure," she replied and followed the other girl over to the fridge.

"Sara! There you are!" Appearing in the doorway, Nyssa al Ghul practically flung herself at Sara, her arms wrapping loosely around the shorter girl's shoulders as she smacked a loud kiss to her cheek. "Ollie told me you were here."

Slight color rose in Sara's cheeks. She smiled slightly, maybe a little embarrassed, and gave the taller girl a squeeze around the waist in return.

"Heya, Nyssa," she greeted, pulling away. She passed the extra beer to Felicity, who was watching the exchange with a curious smile. "Do you know Felicity?"

Nyssa smiled, leaning slightly toward Felicity. "Oh, yes, of course!" her response was a bit exaggerated and her accent unusually strong, and Felicity guessed she was already a little tipsy. "We had Geometry together last year, didn't we? I've never seen you at one of Tommy's parties before, though."

Sara handed Nyssa her beer and then turned to fetch a third for herself. She replied with a suggestive smile, "Ollie invited her."

Nyssa smirked and nodded knowingly. "So, you're Oliver's new conquest. I suppose we'll be seeing you around more often then, yeah?"

Felicity shrugged and scrunched her nose a bit in distaste at being referred to as someone's conquest. "Well, considering he's ignored me since I got here, I wouldn't bet on it. I think he may have just invited me, because he felt sorry for me. I should actually probably just go."

"Oh no!" Sara whined, giving her best pout. "Please stay! These parties get so repetitive; same people, same drama. It'll be nice to have someone new to talk to. Come on," she said, grasping Felicity's forearm lightly, "I'll introduce you to people. It'll be fun, I promise!"

Felicity sighed, making a face. As Sara had just confirmed, these parties were comprised of a usual crowd. Everyone would know she didn't belong there. _But_ , for some reason, Sara Lance wanted her stay, wanted to spend time with her, and Felicity had always been somewhat intrigued by Sara Lance.

Sara was Trouble (yes, with a capital 'T'). She'd been caught (on numerous occasions) making out in the locker room. She'd been suspended for having alcohol in her water bottle and drinking it during class. She talked back to teachers, had been in several fist-fights, and smoked pot. Sara was cool and edgy and Felicity _really_ wanted her to like her.

"Okayyy," Felicity relented in a playful mock-whine, but the smile on her face gave her away. She allowed herself to be tugged along behind a self-satisfied, victorious Sara who led her through the extravagant rooms of the Merlyn mansion.

They finally emerged through a sliding glass door onto an enormous back porch, lights strung up overhead making the area well lit and bathing the porch in dreamy glow. Sara led her to a corner and plopped down cross-legged on the wooden floor. Felicity followed suit, making sure to leave some space between their knees.

"It feels _so_ nice out," Sara commented with a content smile, eyes falling closed. "I'm going to miss summer." It was early September and the weather was still warm, still felt like summer, but Felicity knew that they'd only have a few more weeks until the coolness of fall arrived.

Felicity hummed in agreement. "I'll miss summer for sure, but I'm also looking forward to being able to wear sweaters and boots and drink hot chocolate. Oh, and Halloween!"

Sara chuckled and her eyes opened slowly. "Oh my god. You're so basic." Her tone was teasing, so Felicity didn't take offense.

"Hey!" she replied with a laugh.

Sara raised her eyebrow. "Next you'll tell me you can't wait for pumpkin spice-favored everything."

Felicity shrugged and said with a smirk, "There's a reason it's popular, you know."

"Mmhmm. Thought so." Sara joked smugly.

Felicity playfully rolled her eyes. Skeptically, she asked, "You don't like pumpkin spice?" At Sara's shrug, she continued. "There is a coffee shop downtown that makes the best pumpkin spice cookies. They'd convert even the greatest of haters."

"It's not that I don't like it; I've never really had an interest in trying it. On principle." Sara confessed.

Felicity laughed, nearly choking on her beer. "So you've been depriving yourself of something delicious just because other people like it?!"

Sara laughed too and admitted, "I don't know why, but it makes me want to rebel against it." She hummed thoughtfully. "Tell you what," she bumped her shoulder against Felicity's and sent a dimpled smile her way. "If you hang out with me tonight, I'll try something pumpkin spice flavored. You get to choose what it is."

Felicity chuckled softly, feeling a bit flustered. Sara Lance wanted to hang out with her tonight and make plans for the future? She didn't really understand why Sara was taking such an interest in her. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she averted her eyes from Sara's to stare at her purple-painted toenails. "Okay," she agreed softly, meeting Sara's eyes again for a moment, "deal."

"There you are!" Nyssa exclaimed, lowering herself to sit on Sara's other side. Iris West, her boyfriend Barry Allen, and Amaya Jiwe had followed Nyssa out and sat with them, completing a small circle. Felicity was feeling more relaxed now that Sara had taken her under her wing, and her beer was half-way finished, helping to calm her nerves. She also knew Amaya and Barry pretty well from STEM club, which made conversation with them easy.

"Have you guys started on your bridges yet?" Barry asked Felicity and Amaya. STEM club's first big event of the school year was a bridge building competition. The goal was to design the bridge that could hold the most weight before breaking.

"I've got a design drawn up," Amaya replied with a small nod, "I just need to buy my supplies and start putting it together."

Barry and Amaya turned to Felicity to hear her response. "Same," she said. "I need to stock up on balsa wood."

"We should all go shopping together," Barry suggested. "We could even work on them together; keep each other company, and that way we'd have each other if we need advice or help."

"That's a great idea!" Amaya enthused. "Felicity?"

"That would be great, actually," Felicity easily agreed with a smile. It felt nice to be included. Amaya handed Felicity her phone so that she could input her number.

"Great!" Amaya exclaimed with a smile, taking her phone back once Felicity finished. "I'll start a group text tomorrow to work out the plans."

Nyssa cleared her throat impatiently. "Alright, _nerds_. It's the weekend! Can we _not_ talk about school?"

The trio laughed good-naturedly at Nyssa's teasing. "Nerds? _Us_?" Barry asked in mock-indignation, eyes wide.

Iris smiled, squeezing his arm. "Cute nerds," she amended. In her periphery, Felicity saw Sara nod her head in agreement. She couldn't explain why she felt warm all of the sudden. Must have been the alcohol.

Barry pretended to ponder for a moment before relenting with a huge smile. "Okay. I'll take it."

As Nyssa launched into a story about an out-of-control frat party that her older sister had attended last weekend, Felicity let her attention wonder to the other people spread out across the vast porch. Her gaze landed on Oliver again, Tommy still at his side, but now they were also joined by Nate Heywood and Mick Rory. She couldn't help but wonder why Oliver had invited her in the first place. He'd seemed somewhat interested in her in Bio, casually flirting and laughing appreciatively when she'd make an unintentionally suggestive comment. She knew he had hooked up with a lot of girls, so maybe flirtation was so second-nature to him he didn't even realize he was doing it with her; maybe he just interacted with everyone that way.

She felt Sara's shoulder bump against hers, breaking her train of thought. Sara followed her gaze and leaned in to say, "If he invited you, he wanted you to come. Ollie doesn't give pity invites."

Felicity was surprised that Sara was referencing the comment she had made earlier in the midst of her awkward introductory ramble. She knew most people tended to tune her out or were distracted with thinking of ways to politely interrupt her when she got on a roll like that. It wasn't usual for someone to truly listen for the sake of hearing what she had to say.

Felicity hummed in response, sending a shy smile Sara's way. They both watched as the boys all started to laugh and glance their way. Felicity wondered what they were talking about; if they were talking about her. Oliver sure hadn't seem interested in her yet tonight, except for maybe getting a laugh at her expense. Tommy nudged him playfully and nodded his head toward the group Sara and Felicity had formed. Oliver nudged him back, but then jogged their way.

"Kings Cup!" He announced excitedly as his eyes skimmed over everyone in Felicity's little circle. They landed on her last and lingered. "Anyone who wants to play grab a fresh drink and meet back out here."

"I'm in!" Sara jumped to her feet. Turning, she extended a hand to Felicity. "Felicity?"

Felicity recognized the tentatively hopeful tone in the other girl's voice. Sara was really going out of her way to make sure Felicity didn't feel excluded; it was nice that she was being so friendly, but it was also sort of confusing.

"Um, sure!" Felicity tried to sound excited, but truth be told, she was nervous. She wasn't much of a drinker, and she was nervous that she might embarrass herself in front of Oliver and all these people she didn't really know.

Sara pulled her to her feet.

"Hey, um, where's the bathroom?" Felicity asked as she dropped Sara's hand.

"Just down the hall, first door on the left," Sara directed as the two entered back into the house from the sliding glass doors. "I'll grab you a beer. Whaddya want?"

"Oh!" Felicity said surprised. She didn't really know anything about the different types of beer. "Uh, I'll just have whatever you're having; I'm not picky."

Sara grinned. "Okay. See you back out there."

By the time Felicity returned from the bathroom, a large circle had begun to form on the back porch. Unfortunately, Sara was already sandwiched between Tommy and Barry, so Felicity took a seat in between Iris, who was on Barry's other side, and Amaya. Sara leaned across the circle to hand Felicity her new drink.

"Thanks," she said as their fingers brushed.

Sara pulled her hand away. She smiled and replied, "No problem."

"Alright!" Oliver said. "I think everyone who wanted to play is here." The group of them all turned their attention to Oliver, quieting down.

"Kings Cup is an easy game, but there are different rules for each card and sometimes people play it differently, so I thought I'd go over the rules just to make sure everyone is on the same page." As Oliver was speaking, Tommy placed a red solo cup in the center of the circle and spread a deck of cards facedown around it.

"We'll go around the circle and everyone will take a turn drawing a card. Each card has a different action. Ace is 'waterfall'. Everyone starts chugging their drink until the person who drew the card stops. Then the person next to them can stop whenever they want, and so on. Two means 'you'. If you draw a two you get to choose someone to drink. Three is 'me'. If you draw a three, you drink. Four is 'floor'; everyone has to hit their hand onto the floor, and the last person in the circle to do so has to drink. Five is 'guys'; all the guys drink. Six is 'chicks'; all the girls drink. Seven is 'heaven'; everyone has to put a hand up in the air, and the last person drinks. Eight is 'mate'. If you draw an eight, you choose someone in the circle to be your drinking partner. This means that every time you have to drink, so do they, and every time they have to drink, so do you. Nine is 'bust a rhyme'. The person who draws a nine starts off by saying a word and then we go around the circle and everyone has to say a word that rhymes with the original word. If you repeat a word that has already been said or can't think of a new word, you have to drink. Ten is 'categories'. If you draw a ten, you name a category, and we go around the circle and everyone has to name something in that category. The person who can't think of something in that category has to drink. Jack is 'never have I ever'. Everyone starts with three fingers up. The person who drew the card starts by saying something they have never done. If you have done it, you put a finger down. The first person to put all three fingers down has to drink. Queen is 'question master'. You must answer the question master's questions with another question. If you don't, you drink. The question master keeps the title until another queen is drawn and a new question master is crowned. And finally, the king. If you draw a king, you pour some of your drink into the center cup. You then get to make a rule that everyone must follow until the next king is drawn. If you break the rule, you have to drink. The game ends when the last king is drawn and that person has to chug the contents of the center cup."

Felicity wiggled a little in her seat. It sounded like a lot to remember.

"Don't worry," Amaya whispered to her. "You'll get the hang of it quickly, and it's really fun."

Felicity smiled at her gratefully.

Oliver drew first. "Five. Guys drink up."

Dig was next. "Three is me." He took a swig of his own beer.

"King," Lyla announced. She poured some of her drink into the center cup. "My rule is that you have to say 'in bed' at the end of anything you say!"

Everyone laughed. A few people shouted things like, "Good one!" Felicity began to relax. This seemed like it would be fun.

Tommy drew next. "Seven. Heaven in bed," he said with a small laugh.

Everyone's arms flew into the air, except for Felicity, who was slightly slower, trying to remember what 'heaven' meant.

Sara pointed at her and screeched, "Felicity, drink!" She paused and quickly added, "in bed!"

Felicity felt her cheeks color slightly at being the slowest. "Oh, fuck." Her eyes widened, and she slapped her hand across her mouth, surprised by what she had said. She didn't usually cuss. "In bed!" she squeaked out behind her hand, not wanting to have to drink double.

Everyone was nearly howling with laughter. Felicity removed her hand, smiling. It felt good to make everyone laugh. She quickly took a swig of her beer, and her eyes met Oliver's across the circle. He was looking at her with a small, amused smile on his lips. She blushed again and quickly looked away.

The game continued like that for a few more rounds. It really didn't take long before everyone was very drunk, quickly finishing their beers with how often the game made everyone drink.

Sara was definitely one of the more creative players, drawing a few of the really fun cards.

She had been the one to draw the second king, thus getting to make up a new rule to replace the one about adding the phrase 'in bed' to the end of all sentences.

"Hmmmm," she teased with a mischievous half-smirk, eyes sparkling as she poured some of her beer into the center cup. "My new rule is that anyone who draws a face card or an ace has to lose a piece of clothing."

Everyone broke out into either cheers or groans, and Sara couldn't help but laugh and shrug her shoulders. "What? I want to see some skin!" she defended.

Felicity was just thankful she had opted to wear a camisole under her top.

"Of course," Barry said laying his newly drawn card face up on the floor, revealing an ace.

"Take it offff!" Sara practically howled. Barry blushed, but crossed his arms and tugged his shirt up and over his head.

Iris smacked his bare stomach lightly. "Okay, now start the waterfall."

After the chugging of the waterfall, Iris drew her next card and frowned at Sara. "Jack," she announced, slipping off a sock.

"Lame," Sara called.

Iris pointedly ignored her. "Never have I ever." Everyone held up three fingers. "Okay, um. Never have I ever puked from drinking too much."

Oliver, Dig, Tommy, Sara, Nate, and Nyssa all put a finger down.

Felicity continued the game. There truly was a lot that she hadn't done that she suspected many of the others here had. She decided to go with something safe and said, "Never have I ever been suspended from school."

Tommy and Sara put a second finger down.

Amaya went next. Smirking at Sara, she said, "Never have I ever kissed a girl."

Sara rolled her eyes, but laughed. "Oh, come on!" Both she and Tommy put their last fingers down. Sara clinked her beer to Tommy's and said to him, "Cheers!"

Felicity drew next. "Two." The alcohol was making her courageous, and she had noticed that Oliver had been glancing her way a lot during the game. She pointed across the circle and him and said, "You, Oliver."

Oliver smiled and easily took a swig.

When it was Sara's turn again, she drew another card. "Queen. Question master." She stood up, tugging her black muscle tank up and over her head. She was left in a strappy black bralette. Felicity's eyes were drawn to her toned abs. "Does anyone need a new drink?"

"I do!" Both Amaya and Felicity chimed in. Felicity forced herself to look at Sara's face instead of her stomach.

Sara smirked deviously as she began to saunter into the kitchen. Turning back over her shoulder she called, "Well you'd better finish those off," referring to their mostly empty bottles, "because you didn't answer my question with a question!"

"Damn!" Felicity exclaimed good-naturedly, finishing off the rest of her bottle while Amaya did the same. She could feel her buzz coursing through her, definitely more drunk than she had ever been before, and a glance around the circle confirmed that everyone else was in a similar state. She made a promise to herself that this next beer would be her last.

Sara returned with three beers and took her place in the circle again. She handed one to Felicity and asked, "Is Miller okay?"

Felicity opened her mouth to answer that it was, but almost immediately clamped her lips shut. She squinted apprehensively at Sara, whose face was the perfect picture of wide-eyed innocence. "Does it seem like I'm picky about which beers I drink?" Felicity responded with a haughty smirk. "Boom!"

Sara cackled. "Look at you catching on!"

On his next turn, Tommy drew the third king. Tugging his own shirt off, he poured a good portion of his beer into the center cup. "Okay, my rule is that mates have to kiss each other before they drink. With tongue."

"Ohhh, good one; I like it!" Sara said with laugh as she reached for her next card.

Sara drew a ten, which was categories. "Sex positions. And go!"

"Missionary," Barry responded, earning a few groans. "What, it was the first one that popped into my head."

"Of course it was," Dig needled. Barry rolled his eyes.

"Doggy-style," said Iris.

Felicity blushed, "Um, reverse cowgirl?"

Everyone laughed at how Felicity had posed her response as a shy question, clearly embarrassed. She heard Sara whisper to Tommy, "She's cute, isn't she?" which only made her blush harder.

When the attention turned to Amaya, she just drank.

Everyone grew progressively more drunk. When it was Nyssa's next turn she drew an eight. "Sara's my mate!"

"Yes!" Tommy exclaimed. "Girl-on-girl. Don't forget my rule."

Sara rolled her eyes at Tommy, but then faced Nyssa across the circle sending her a sexy smile. Felicity watched the exchange and felt her stomach flip. How was Sara so effortlessly sexy? Even with alcohol flowing through her system, she managed to exude confidence and sensuality. Felicity had always been fascinated by people like that. She, herself, had only ever been referred to as cute or charming; never sexy, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how to be.

Oliver drew next. He smirked and announced, "Six: chicks."

All the girls around the circle drank except for Sara and Nyssa.

"C'mere, mate," Sara said, making the come-hither gesture with her pointer finger. She leaned forward across the circle, and Felicity watched as Nyssa met her halfway. Felicity had never seen two girls kiss in real life, and now that it was happening right in front of her, she found she couldn't tear her eyes away. Sara's dark eyelashes fluttering closed; her pouty lips pressing into Nyssa's; her fingers tangling into Nyssa's dark locks as the tip of Sara's tongue slipped inside her mouth; Sara's soft sigh as they parted. Deep in her belly, Felicity felt a surprising warmth build. She could feel the blush spreading lightly across her cheeks. Sara's lips had looked so soft as Nyssa's pressed against them.

 _Damn, she was drunk._

Felicity found it hard to concentrate on the rest of the game. She kept replaying Sara and Nyssa's kiss in her mind. Due to her distraction, she had to drink on a few more rounds, and her beer was already nearly empty.

Oliver drew an eight. His eyes traveled around the circle before locking with hers. While he still hadn't talked to her much, Felicity had noticed his increasing attention to her throughout the game. Maybe because he was drunk, or maybe because she was now more comfortable with his friends, or maybe because his friends seemed to like her. She wasn't sure what had caused it, but when he said her name with soft smile on his face, as cheesy at it sounds, she felt butterflies take flight in her stomach.

For some reason, her eyes darted to Sara, who winked exaggeratedly at her.

Dig drew a seven next, and everyone's hands shot up in the air. As she watched Barry take a drink for being the slowest, Felicity began to feel nervous. She hadn't kissed anyone since she and Cooper had broken up at the end of Freshman year. What if she had forgotten how? What if Oliver could tell she was out of practice? Or, worse, thought she was a bad kisser?

Lyla drew next, taking over Sara's role as question master. Felicity noticed that there weren't that many cards left. Tommy drew a three and took a drink. Sara drew a nine.

She thought for a minute and then said, "Beer."

The group went around rhyming words with beer: deer, clear, near, rear, cheer, tear, smear.

When it got to Dig he sputtered for a moment before mumbling, "Fuck," and drinking, causing everyone to laugh.

When Barry drew the final king on his next turn, Felicity wasn't sure if she felt disappointed or relieved that she hadn't got to kiss Oliver. Probably a little mix of both. Barry chugged the nasty mixture of various beers like a champ.

The group began to disperse, Oliver staring at her for a minute before getting up himself and heading back into the house.

"Shit," Sara said as she stared at her phone. Felicity glanced at her curiously. Sara explained, "My dad. He said he's on his way to pick me up. Fucking Laurel must have told him we were drinking."

Felicity hiccupped, making Sara smile. "Laurel's your sister?"

"Yeah and Ollie's ex. They dated all last year; just broke up a few weeks ago, before school started back."

Felicity nodded in acknowledgment. She felt so sleepy all of the sudden. She unlocked her phone and saw that it was nearly one a.m. She knew that she didn't want to stay if Sara was leaving, so she clicked on her uber app.

Sara was watching her. She placed her hand on top of Felicity's phone. "My dad can give you a ride if you want. That way you don't have to spend any money on an uber or risk getting a creep driver."

"He won't be mad that we've been drinking?"

Sara chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure we'll get a lecture in the car, but no, he won't be too mad."

Felicity nodded.

"Come on. Let's wait for him out front." Sara helped Felicity up. Rather than going back through the house, Sara led Felicity down the porch steps and around to the front of the house. They sat with their backs pressed against the ornate fountain Felicity had noticed when she had arrived earlier.

Sara turned her head to look at Felicity's profile in the moonlight. She said softly, "You're so pretty. Oliver definitely likes you. He'd be an idiot not to."

Felicity smiled softly and stared at her lap, letting Sara's words wash over her. She hoped it was true. Maybe coming to the party tonight hadn't been such a huge mistake after all. Maybe it had been her chance to win him over. Maybe she _had_ won him over.

A car pulled up the driveway and stopped in front of them. They both clambered into the backseat, and Sara said with a relieved sigh, "Thank you for not bringing the squad car." Officer Lance chuckled.

Felicity's eyes about bulged from her head. "Your dad's a cop?" she whispered, but in her drunken state it came out much louder than she intended. Quentin chuckled.

"Daddy, this is Felicity. I told her we could give her a ride home." Sara explained

"Of course. Just tell me your address."

After Felicity told him where she lived, Quentin began his lecture on underage drinking and drunk driving. Felicity was glad that he didn't seem angry at them; he seemed happy that they were being safe by riding home with him instead of attempting to drive.

When she arrived home, Felicity let herself into the tiny apartment she and her mom shared. She stumbled blindly through the dark living room and down the hall to her bedroom. Quickly, she changed into pajama pants and a tank top, got her phone charging on her nightstand, and went about her nightly bathroom routine.

Climbing into bed, she had never felt so tired. She'd also never been quite this drunk before. Her mom wouldn't be home for another hour and a half at least from her bartending shift.

Her phone buzzed twice on the table next to her. She smiled sleepily as she read the messages.

From unknown (1:32 a.m.)

 _Even tho u didnt get to kiss Ollie I hope u still had fun tonight. Im glad u came!_

From unknown (1:32 a.m.)

 _This is Sara btw :)_

Felicity quickly tapped out a reply.

To Sara (1:33 a.m.)

 _I did have fun! I'm glad I came too!_

From Sara (1:33 a.m.)

 _Good :)_

Even though Felicity's eyelids felt so heavy, she had this odd desire to keep the conversation with Sara going. Felicity felt inexplicably drawn to her. With the alcohol in her system making her bold, she typed out a new message.

To Sara (1:35 a.m.)

 _How'd you get my number?_

From Sara (1:35 a.m.)

 _Got it from Amaya_

From Sara (1:35 a.m.)

 _Cant keep my eyes open. Talk to u later. Goodnight Felicity :)_

Felicity's stomach fluttered. Sara had texted Amaya for her contact info. She couldn't believe that someone as cool as Sara Lance wanted to be friends with her.

To Sara (1:35 a.m.)

' _Night, Sara :)_

As Felicity slipped into sleep that night, she wondered what it would have been like to have Sara choose her as her mate in Kings Cup; how soft her lips would feel pressed against Felicity's.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear any thoughts or constructive criticism. This fic could stand alone, but I have some ideas for future chapters if anyone is interested! (not sure if anyone even still reads smoaking canary)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-H.M :)**


	2. Chapter 2

good Trouble

Part II: In our heads we're like winners

On Monday, Felicity took her usual seat in third period Literature, second row and off to the side a bit; still close enough to allow her to tune out most distractions coming from the back few rows and focus on the lesson, but not so close as to be seen as a front row overachiever type.

She was nervous to see Sara. She wasn't sure if she had only served as one-off novel entertainment for the other girl during the party (she _had_ mentioned something about how those parties got boring; a bunch of the same-old-same), or if Sara was genuinely interested in becoming friends (she _had_ asked Amaya for her number). The uncertainty made her uneasy.

She watched the door as students filed in. When the bell rang, signaling the start of class, and Sara had yet to appear, Felicity felt disappointed. _What if Sara was skipping class particularly to avoid her?_ She shook the thought from her head. _That'd be ridiculous._

As Mr. Berlanti walked to the center of the room to begin his lesson, a blur of gold-blonde hair rushed into the room exclaiming apologetically, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Mr. Berlanti frowned at her. "That's the second time already this semester, Miss Lance. Please make more of an effort to be on time," he scolded lightly.

Sara surveyed the room until her eyes landed on Felicity. She grinned. "I will!" she promised as she bee-lined to the empty seat on Felicity's right.

"Hey girl," she stage-whispered to Felicity with a large, toothy grin as Mr. Berlanti began the lesson.

Felicity smiled back, feeling relieved. She leaned over and whispered, "Hey."

After Mr. Berlanti gave the overview of the day's lesson, he told them to pair up and work on an assignment over their most recent reading.

Sara turned toward Felicity and laid a hand on her forearm. "Partners?" she asked. Her tone was hopeful and yet assertive.

"Sure!" Felicity responded with a small confirmatory smile and head nod.

As they worked, Sara quietly enthused, "Saturday was so much fun, right?!"

"It was! And to think, I almost didn't go. I'm glad I did, though!" Felicity rambled slightly. It was something she tended to do when she was nervous. Sara seemed to genuinely like her, and she felt pressure to make sure Sara continued to like her. She didn't want to say something stupid or embarrassing.

Sara smiled in amusement. "I'm glad you did, too! Otherwise, we might not have ever had the chance to get to know each other."

Felicity felt a pleasant warm, tingly feeling blossom within her chest. It was reassuring to hear that Sara was also happy that they were becoming friends.

"So, was your dad mad?" Felicity asked.

Sara leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "No. Ever since my mom…" she broke off abruptly, looking away from Felicity. She seemed surprised that she had mentioned her mom; like she hadn't meant to. She cleared her throat. "Well, he's been pretty lenient with us, Laurel and me. I try not to take advantage of it, but it works in my favor sometimes," she explained.

Felicity knew that Sara and her mom had been in a car accident the summer after their freshman year. Sara's mom hadn't made it. She felt bad for inadvertently prompting Sara to mention her. She probably didn't like to talk about it; especially not with someone she barely knew.

"What about your parents?" Sara asked.

"It's just my mom," Felicity clarified. Laughing a little, she answered, "And no, she wasn't mad."

Sara raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh?"

"She's different," Felicity tried to explain. "She was just happy I was acting like a 'normal teenager,'" she said using finger quotes and rolling her eyes. "I think she was proud that I had my first ever hangover. She made me coffee and tried to give me advice for preventing and dealing with hangovers in the future." She smacked the palm of her hand into her face, slightly embarrassed. She and her mom were very different people, and sometimes it was hard for Felicity to deal with. Sometimes she just had to make a joke out of it to make it all seem easier.

Sara laughed. "That's awesome! Yeah, my dad doesn't care as long as we're safe about it; like as long as everyone watches out for each other and no one drinks and drives. The usual." She paused, eyes squinting in slight disbelief, then asked, "So, was that _really_ your first hangover?"

. . .

"Hey!" Sara exclaimed as she slid into the open seat next to Felicity on Friday morning. She was early for Lit, which was unusual.

Felicity looked up from the book she was reading to smile at her new friend. Sara had sat next to her every day in Lit that week, and they had been texting often outside of school. They were definitely becoming friends, and Felicity was much more at ease with the idea of it now. She no longer felt insecure or worried about proving herself as a worthy friend. Sara seemed to like her for _her_ , dorky rambles and all.

New friends were usually fun and exciting; getting to learn about each other and discovering all the ways in which you click, but with Sara, there was more to it than just that. Sara was different from Felicity's typical friends, and that was exhilarating in a different sort of way. She was unpredictable, and Felicity enjoyed the thrill that Sara's unpredictability gave her.

"You're actually on time today," Felicity greeted with a teasing smirk, closing her book and setting it to the side of her desk.

Sara chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I know," she moaned as if it were such an inconvenience to be early. "I wanted to talk to you before class. Are you going to Nyssa's bonfire tonight?"

"No," she replied with a slight frown and a shake of her head. "I wasn't invited."

Sara laughed. " _I'm_ inviting you, dork!"

Felicity rolled her eyes and said, "But won't Nyssa care if I come? It's her party."

Sara's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Of course not! Everyone _loved_ you last weekend," she reassured.

Felicity still hesitated. "I don't want to crash Nyssa's party."

"You won't be, I promise." Sara thought for a moment and then said all cajoling and singsong-y, "Ollie will be there."

That got Felicity's attention. She and Oliver hadn't had very much lab work in Bio that week, which meant they hadn't had a chance to talk very much since the party last weekend, where they had almost kissed. It was definitely tempting to have another chance to hang out with him outside of school. "I don't know; maybe? Can I think about it?"

"Sure, and I'll tell Nyssa to _personally_ invite you," Sara ribbed. "Would that make you feel better about coming?"

Felicity grinned and nodded. "It would, actually," she said with a good-natured smile in response to Sara's teasing.

Sara pulled out her phone. "Okay, I'm texting her right now," she laughed.

Her phone buzzed on the desk seconds later. Sara read the message and then smiled cheekily as he held it up for Felicity to see.

Nyssa had replied: _Yes! Of course Felicity should come! Tell her she'd better be there :)_

"See? Everyone thinks you're the bee's-knees," Sara said with an I-told-you-so sort of haughty smile accompanied with a pointed eyebrow raise.

Felicity finally caved, not able to suppress the huge grin that had taken over her face. "Alright, alright! I'll come!" She felt almost giddy, flattered that Sara and even Nyssa were so adamant about wanting her there.

The bell rang a moment later, and Mr. Berlanti began his lesson. Felicity sent Sara one last smile before turning her attention to the notebook that lay open on the desk in front of her.

Later that day, Dr. Wells assigned the next lab project in Biology, so Felicity got to work with Oliver. They worked quietly together, making small jokes here and there.

"Okay, so we need the graduated cylinder next for the Iodine solution," Oliver said reading from the lab worksheet on the table in front of him.

They both reached for it in tandem, and their fingers brushed against one another's. Blushing, Felicity immediately pulled her hand away, muttering, "Sorry!"

Oliver smiled softly at her. He seemed amused by her reaction. "No worries," he replied casually, grabbing the graduated cylinder. Watching her, he cleared his throat lightly and said, "Hey, so, there's this bonfire tonight at Nyssa al Ghul's." His eyes never left hers; Oliver Queen was confident. "You should come."

Felicity wondered if he had ever been turned down by a girl before. Honestly, probably not.

She smiled and attempted nonchalance, not wanting to seem over-eager even though her heart was pounding in response to his invitation. "Yeah, I'll be there," she said evenly. "Sara mentioned it earlier."

Oliver's eyes widened and his eyebrows raised slightly, taken aback by her response. It gave her a small thrill that she had surprised him. She didn't want him to think she was like every other girl who was vying for his attention; she was different. "Oh," he said. "I didn't know you two were friends."

Nodding, Felicity confirmed, "We are. Well, just since Tommy's party last weekend. She's cool."

Oliver nodded his head in agreement, soft smile still in place. "She is, yeah. We've known each other forever."

Dr. Wells interrupted them from the front of the classroom, "We have about five minutes left of class, so finish as much of your worksheets as you can and get them turned in to me up here before the bell rings."

They quickly finished the worksheet just as the bell began to ring, signaling the end of the class period.

"Have a good day, Felicity," Oliver said with a charming smile as he left the room. "I'll see you tonight."

. . .

Felicity parked her car on the street in front of yet another enormous mansion. She didn't know if she'd ever get used to seeing these fancy houses her new friends lived in. She grabbed her phone from where it rested in a cup holder and read the new message Sara had just sent her.

From Sara (10:04pm):

 _When u get here just come around back!_

Felicity walked up the driveway and followed a path to the side of the house and through the unlocked gate of a wooden fence that surrounded the entire back yard. A stone path led through a well-tended, elaborate garden. Nestled in between flowers and impeccably trimmed bushes were multiple stone and marble fountains of various sizes and designs. Small benches lined the multiple pathways. Felicity gasped at the magnificence of it all.

The party was in full swing as she entered into the more open area in the backyard. A large deck lined the entirety of the back of the house and stairs led down from it to a large in-ground pool. Sara hadn't told Felicity to bring a swimsuit, but some people were swimming. Further back from the pool was a large stone fire pit surrounded by smooth wooden benches. The whole yard was lit by decorative torches and strung up lights. Music played in the background, but mostly Felicity's ears were bombarded by sounds of voices and laughter. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

"Felicity!" Felicity heard Sara shout her name in excitement before she saw her. A moment later, a body hurtled into her and wrapped her in an unexpected hug.

She almost pulled away in surprise, but calmed when she realized who it was. She began to feel warm and tingly; Sara always made her feel special, as if she desired her company above anyone else's. Her own arms wound around Sara's middle to give her a light squeeze in return, and she laughed in response to Sara's drunken enthusiasm.

"Are you already drunk?" Felicity asked with a soft laugh, pulling out of the hug to look Sara in the eyes.

"Nooooo," Sara insisted with a happy, lopsided grin. She reached toward Felicity's face and grasped a piece of loose blonde hair between her fingers, pulling slightly. Felicity's belly jumped suddenly at the intimate gesture, and she broke eye contact with Sara as a blush colored her cheeks. "Just a little tipsy. I got here early to help Nyssa set up, and we pre-gamed a bit." She released the lock of hair and took Felicity's hand in hers. "Come on! Let's get you a drink!"

It was almost déjà vu as Sara paraded Felicity through the crowd of partygoers and into the heart of Nyssa's backyard. She led her up the stairs and onto the deck where coolers lined the wall of the exterior of the home, all filled with alcohol.

Sara dropped Felicity's hand, grabbed a fruity wine cooler from one of the many coolers, and then handed it to the other girl. "Try this. I think you'll like it more than beer," she offered. She gestured to the cap. "It's a twist off."

Felicity covered the cap with the bottom edge of her flowy yellow tank top and then used her fingers to twist the cap off. She took a sip and hummed in delight. "This could be dangerous," she said with a smile. "It tastes like juice!"

Sara laughed. "I know!" She grabbed a beer for herself and then led Felicity back down the steps, past the pool, and over to the bonfire.

. . .

About two hours and a few wine coolers later, Felicity found herself thoroughly entertained by Barry's attempts to roast a marshmallow.

She laughed hysterically as another one of Barry's marshmallows dropped from his stick and into the flames, ruined.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed with a good-natured laugh. "That's gotta be, like, the fourth time that's happened!"

"Want me to make one for you, babe?" Iris asked with a smirk. "All of mine have come out perfect."

Barry sighed, defeated. "You're the best," he conceded with a smile.

"Felicity," Nyssa greeted, gracefully plopping down onto the bench next to the blonde. "Have you seen Sara?"

Felicity shook her head slowly, the motion making her foggy brain dizzy. "Nope," she replied, popping the 'p' with emphasis. "She left to get us more drinks ages ago!" She continued with a whine, "I miss her."

"Me too," Nyssa said. "Let's go find her."

Felicity easily agreed, and Nyssa grabbed her hand and tugged her through the crowd, under the back deck, and through a pair of sliding glass doors, which led into the basement of her home.

"I can't believe your parents just let you have parties where everyone gets drunk!" Felicity exclaimed.

Nyssa shrugged. "My dad is away on business. He doesn't know."

"Sara!" Nyssa called, rounding a corner. She was still pulling Felicity by the hand. Felicity obediently followed along feeling almost like a puppy, but was also curious to find out where Sara had been.

Nyssa opened the door to another room and stopped dead in her tracks, making Felicity collide into her back. The blonde moved around her to stand at Nyssa's side, jaw dropping open at the sight before them.

Sara was reclined on the edge of a pool table with her legs wrapped around John Constantine's waist. One of her hands cupped the back of his neck while the other rested low on his back. John had one hand woven through Sara's golden blonde locks and the other was creeping up the front of her chest. Their mouths were fused in a heated lip lock.

Nyssa took a jerky step backward and turned to flee. For some reason, Felicity remained frozen for a moment, unable to look away, unable to put a name to the unpleasant feeling that crept over her as she watched Sara make out with John.

A small, breathy moan from Sara broke her out of her trance, and she blushed, turning to chase after Nyssa.

She caught up with the taller girl and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Nyssa pulled her arm sharply from Felicity's touch. "Just leave me alone!" she snapped bitterly, but she sounded upset. Before Nyssa turned and ran up the stairs, Felicity saw a single tear escape from the brunette's eye and trail down her cheek.

Felicity wandered back into the yard, more curious than ever before about Sara and Nyssa's relationship. She wondered why her stomach had churned at the sight of Sara making out with John; why she felt jealous. She and Sara had become close friends relatively quickly, and she was the person Felicity felt closest to and most comfortable with at the party. Maybe she was jealous that Sara wanted to spend time with John instead of hanging out with her.

She rejoined the group gathered around the fire and grabbed a marshmallow to roast. She felt drunk, similar to how she had felt last weekend, but rather than feeling happy and silly, she felt isolated and sad. She wished Sara would come back and sit with her so that they could joke about how bad Barry was at roasting marshmallows or giggle quietly at Dig's efforts to flirt with Lyla.

She didn't know how long she sat alone, listening passively to the conversations around her, until she felt someone take the seat next to her.

"Hey," Oliver's deep voice greeted.

Felicity smiled, surprised that he had approached her. Oliver was confusing and sent mixed signals. Sometimes she thought he might be interested, like when he invited her to Tommy's party and then wanted to be her 'mate' in Kings Cup, but usually she thought he couldn't care less about her. They didn't really talk outside of school, he'd never made an effort to get her number, and for most of Tommy's party last weekend and the bonfire that night, he hadn't tried to hang out with her at all.

"Hey," she replied calmly, trying to keep all emotion from her voice. She didn't want Oliver to think she was like super ecstatic to be talking to him or anything.

"Are you having fun?" Oliver asked, taking a sip from his beer.

Felicity shrugged. She had been having fun earlier. Not so much now, though.

Oliver gestured to the uncooked marshmallow in her hand. "Are you gonna roast that?" He asked with a small, teasing smile.

Felicity grinned back. She said with a laugh, "I was going to; I guess I got distracted."

He bumped his shoulder against hers. "Well lucky for you, I have something better." He reached to his side and produced a paper plate with a brownie on it. "Pot brownies," he explained. "Want one?"

"Don't give her that!" Sara said with her eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance, appearing in front of the two with her hands on her hips. "She'll get sick. She's been drinking all night."

Oliver calmly raised his eyebrow at Sara, not at all bothered by her judgmental tone. "I think she'll be fine, _Sara_."

Sara rolled her eyes and instead directed her gaze to Felicity expectantly. For some reason unknown to even herself, Felicity felt like rebelling against Sara. She wanted to show both Sara and Oliver that she wasn't just some naïve, inexperienced nerd; she wanted them both to think she was cool, that she could break the rules sometimes too.

Felicity reached for the brownie and took a bite. Sara shook her head and muttered, "Whatever," under her breath. She sat down across the fire from them next to Amaya.

"Do you want to go for a walk, Felicity?" Oliver asked, standing and holding out his hand for hers.

She blushed and felt her heartrate speed up. Maybe he _was_ interested. She forced her eyes to meet his and took note of how pretty his eyes were, the sharpness of his jawline, and the faintest shadow of stubble beginning to poke through there. He was certainly handsome, and Felicity was reminded of why she had a crush on him to begin with.

"Yeah," she said with a smile, placing her hand in his.

As she and Oliver walked away hand-in-hand, she turned and found Sara staring at them. Felicity couldn't read the look on her face. She shot her new friend a smile, but Sara didn't smile back.

They walked through the gate and into Nyssa's front yard. Oliver led her down the driveway and onto a sidewalk. They walked mostly in silence, fingers still entwined. Felicity was worried her hands might be sweaty as she was starting to freak out a little bit that she and Oliver were alone on a romantic midnight stroll. Maybe he would kiss her. After the initial relief she had felt when she hadn't had to kiss Oliver during Kings Cup had faded, she began to feel regret that she had missed the opportunity. Maybe one kiss would be all it took to convince him that they belonged together.

"This is my car," Oliver said as they came to a stop next to a red Ferrari. "Do you want to get in and listen to some music?"

Felicity's heart was pounding. Surely if she got into this car they would make out. She nodded and managed to squeak out, "Yeah."

Oliver smiled charmingly at her and opened the passenger-side door to let her climb in. He then rounded the front of the car and climbed into the driver's seat. He started the car and found a good radio station, lowering the volume to create a soundtrack for their conversation.

 _White skin underwater  
You know she's somebody's daughter_

He reached over the center console to twist a strand of her blonde hair through his fingers.

"You know, you look really pretty when you wear your hair down," he whispered, his eyes dark and hooded.

She blushed at the compliment, unsure how to respond, and averted her eyes from his and to her knees instead. His fingers trailed down her cheek and jaw and then cupped her chin to turn her face back to his. She watched as he drew her face in closer to his, his eyelids fluttering shut just seconds before his lips touched hers for the first time.

 _I'm here tonight and I want her  
I'm here tonight and I've got her_

They kissed, and it felt nice. His tongue was too large and rough in her mouth, but when he pulled back and nipped lightly at her bottom lip, she couldn't help the small moan that escaped her throat.

The sound encouraged him, and he leaned further across the console and pressed his fingers against the waistband of her jeans. Gasping a little in surprise, she tried to pull back, to protest, but he just followed the movement of her body, surging forward enough to keep their mouths pressed together.

His hand crept up underneath her shirt and landed on her breast, where he squeezed softly. She moaned at the sensation; it did feel good; but she wasn't ready for this much this fast. Managing to pull back just enough, she panted against his moistened lips, "Hey, can we slow down a little?" She placed her own hand over his on her chest and pushed his hand down and out of her shirt.

"Of course." He smiled softly and admitted sheepishly, "I guess I got a little carried away."

 _We can hold hands, we can make-out  
Sit silent or cry out_

Immediately, his lips were back on hers, but the kiss was much slower and more deliberate. She began to relax and enjoy the sensations that went along with making out with Oliver Queen. His stubble scratching pleasantly against her cheek; his fingers running through her hair and tracing along her face and neck, making goosebumps rise up all over her skin.

His hand grasped her hip and tugged her closer to the center of the car. She followed, sucking lightly on his bottom lip, making him groan. The sound caused heat to flood low in her belly, turning her on.

Then, without warning, her head began to spin, and she felt incredibly dizzy. Her stomach churned and tears sprung up in her eyes. "Wait; stop! I don't feel so good"

 _In our heads we're like winners  
Though we're just beginners  
At some miserable game_

. . .

Staring at her illuminated phone screen, Sara stumbled across Nyssa's yard and into the elaborate garden that decorated the side of the house. She wondered where Ollie and Felicity had gone. Sara looked up from her phone as the gate to the yard swung open forcefully, and Felicity nearly fell through. Sara almost laughed, thinking that Felicity must be _really_ drunk, but then she heard the sobs coming from her new friend and noticed the shiny tear tracks along her cheeks when Felicity looked up at her.

Sara's face scrunched up in concern as Felicity took the last few steps necessary to collide into Sara's body.

"Hey," Sara said softly, comforting. She tilted Felicity's face upward and used her thumbs to gingerly wipe the tears from her cheeks. "What's wrong, baby?"

She was either too drunk or too concerned for Felicity's wellbeing that the term of endearment just slipped out accidentally. Felicity didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't say anything.

Instead, her arms wove tightly around Sara's neck as she cried softly into her shoulder. She took a few deep breaths and managed to get herself under control. "Oliver and I went for a walk and we ended up at his car. He asked if I wanted to listen to some music and I did. He kissed me and we were making out, but then I started to feel really dizzy. It felt like the car was spinning, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I managed to get the door opened, and then I threw up all over the sidewalk and it was all just so embarrassing! I got out of the car as fast as I could and ran," Felicity sobbed. "I just, what if I blew it with him? What if he thinks that I'm disgusting because I puked everywhere?"

"Hey," Sara interrupted, bringing her back and trying not to chuckle at Felicity's misery. "He shouldn't have given you that pot brownie; I knew it would make you sick. So, really, it's his fault."

"That doesn't make me feel better." Felicity pouted.

Sara sighed. "Felicity. You are amazing. If he isn't into you anymore because you got sick one time at a party, then he doesn't deserve you. Trust me; it's happened to the best of us at some time or another."

Felicity nodded and smiled slightly at Sara. "Thank you."

Sara's hand trailed down her arm. She slipped fingers into Felicity's and said, "Come on; let's get out of here. I live a few blocks down. Do you want to stay the night at my place?"

Nodding again, Felicity let her head drop against Sara's shoulder. She suddenly felt exhausted.

. . .

"My limbs feel so heavy," Felicity said later on at Sara's house. Felicity sat on Sara's bed as Sara dug through her dresser to find pajamas for them both. "I feel funny."

Sara laughed. "That's the weed." She sobered up a bit and said, "And the reason you felt dizzy and got sick was probably because you mixed weed with alcohol. You shouldn't do that again."

Felicity smiled sleepily and mock-saluted Sara. "Aye, aye, Captain!"

"Okay, how about these?" Sara asked holding up a pair of fleece pajama pants and a long sleeved t-shirt. "Nice and cozy."

"Perfect," she confirmed with a sleepy smile. "But, um, can you help me? My arms feel like lead. I actually don't think I can lift them up. What if I'm never able to lift them up again?"

Sara rolled her eyes, but smiled in amusement at Felicity's mild paranoia. She walked over to Felicity and lifted her arms above her head. "Keep them up," she instructed. She grasped the hem of Felicity's shirt and tugged it up over her head.

Sara tried her best to keep her gaze fixed on Felicity's, but wasn't able to stop herself from sneaking a peek. In her inebriated state and with Felicity not acting shy _at all_ , it was impossible not to. "Um," Sara hesitated, "Do you want to just keep your bra on?"

Even through her drunken high, Felicity had the awareness to blush at her current situation. "Yeah, just leave my bra on."

Sara grabbed the t-shirt and carefully pulled Felicity's arms through and brought it down over her head, covering her up. "Pants?"

Felicity nodded sleepily. "Yes, please."

Sara sighed at the sweet torture she was currently enduring. She couldn't believe she was actually undressing Felicity, albeit in circumstances much different from what she had been imagining all week. "Okay, lie back."

Felicity did as she was told, eyes immediately falling shut as her back hit the bed. Sara unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them off as clinically and methodically as she could. Still, her fingers grazed against the soft, smooth skin of Felicity's thighs. _Did she just imagine that sigh falling from Felicity's lips?_

She tossed the jeans aside and quickly pulled the fleece pajama bottoms up Felicity's legs to settle securely around her hips.

Sara then got dressed herself and climbed into her bed next to the other blonde. She nudged her softly. "Hey, Felicity," she said, quietly waking her. "Can you scooch over a little? Do you wanna get under the blankets?"

Felicity hummed sleepily and arched her back up off the bed so Sara could pull the blankets out from under her. She stared unabashedly at Felicity's body in that position and couldn't keep the dirty thoughts from entering her mind. She wanted to make Felicity's back arch like that again, but from pleasure in response to Sara's fingers and tongue.

She shook those thoughts from her head and reminded herself that Felicity was straight and into Ollie, of all people. Her first crush. Her first hook-up.

She covered herself and Felicity with the blanket and rolled over so that her back was to the other girl. She felt Felicity shift back until their backs were flush against one another.

"Goodnight, Felicity."

"G'night, Sara."

. . .

Groaning, Felicity rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow to block out the sunlight filtering in through open blinds. Her face scrunched up, trying to remember when she would have opened those. She usually kept her blinds closed and her curtains drawn.

She felt the bed and blankets shift as Sara rolled over next to her, and the previous night came rushing back to her. She groaned again, and Sara giggled.

"Morning," she said with soft, scratchy morning-voice as she poked Felicity's shoulder. "You alive?"

"Don't wanna be," Felicity grunted. "Not after last night."

Sara laughed. "Was it really that bad?" she asked Felicity's back.

Felicity sighed and rolled onto her side to face her friend. "Sara. We were _making out_ and I _puked_. It was bad," she deadpanned.

Sara smiled and teased, "You were making out in his car! That is _such_ a high school cliché. I honestly expected better from Ollie. If anyone should be embarrassed, it's him."

"It was pretty cliché," Felicity chuckled. "He grabbed my boob."

Sara gasped with a playful smile, "Oh, the scandal!"

"Shut up," Felicity said with a laugh, shoving Sara's shoulder lightly.

Sara rolled onto her back and Felicity followed suit. They laid in peaceful, sleepy silence for a moment.

"Hey," Felicity began. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Sara easily agreed.

"What's the deal with you and Nyssa? Are you together?"

Sara was quick to correct her. "No, we're just friends."

Felicity wasn't sure if she bought it, though. So, she continued to press, "But, I see the way you two interact. You're not _just friends_."

Sara sighed and rolled her eyes slightly in defeat. "We used to date and still hook up sometimes. But it's casual," she explained. Curiously, she ventured tentatively, "Why do you wanna know?"

Felicity kept her eyes glued to the ceiling. "It's just that, last night, Nyssa and I went looking for you and we saw you… with John," Felicity kept the details ambiguous, knowing Sara would know what she was referring to, "and she was really upset."

"Oh."

Felicity blabbered on, "And, well, I know it's none of my business, but, I mean, do you like John?"

"No. Not like that," Sara replied.

Felicity's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "They why did you make out with him?"

Sara rolled onto her side again to face Felicity. "I don't know. I just wanted to make out with someone and he was there." She laughed at herself, "That sounds really bad. It's just that he was obviously interested, and I felt like it, so I did." She shrugged.

Felicity was quiet for a moment. "I think Nyssa still likes you."

Sara shook her head. "We ended things mutually. We both agreed that we shouldn't be tied to each other all through high school. That's how we spent all of sophomore year; so wrapped up in each other that we missed out on a lot. We didn't want that going into junior year."

Felicity hummed, not wanting to push anymore. Her friendship with Sara was still pretty new. She grinned. "So, is John a good kisser?"

Sara groaned and hit her in the face with a pillow.

 **A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who have read this story so far and especially those of you who took the time to leave a comment! I really appreciate it. I'd love to hear what you all thought about this chapter!**

 **The lyrics are from Welles' song "Seventeen"**

 **\- H.M. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

good Trouble

Part III: I know I'm in but I'm out there

From Sara (1:13pm)

 _What are you doing?_

To Sara (1:13pm)

 _Just working on some homework :/_

From Sara (1:13pm)

 _Good so nothing important_

To Sara (1:14pm)

 _Haha why?_

From Sara (1:14)

 _Im outside your building. Lets go on an adventure :)_

 **. . .**

"So, where are we going?" Felicity asked as she rolled her window down. The breeze tossed her loose hair all over the place as Sara pressed down hard on the gas pedal, picking up speed. She grabbed an extra pair of sunglasses from a cup holder and slid them on.

Sara glanced over at her, smiling slightly at how relaxed and carefree Felicity seemed. It had taken her awhile to feel fully comfortable around Sara, and Sara was glad she was finally letting her see this side of her. She replied, "Lake Ogawa. Nate was telling me about this really cool spot he found, and I've been wanting to check it out."

"Cool," Felicity said with a smile. Sara could have invited anyone to come explore this spot with her: Nyssa, Amaya, John Constantine… but she had chosen _Felicity_. A shiver ran up her spine. She rolled her window up halfway to block some of the breeze, not noticing that the wind was too warm to cause chills.

Sara cranked her music as she sped down the road leading out of town.

 _It was summer when I saw your face  
Looked like a teenage runaway  
Oh god I never thought we'd take it that far  
Some killer queen you are_

Fifteen minutes later Sara turned her car down a tiny dirt road that circled the lake. "He said to follow this road for about ten minutes and then look for a sign that says something about not feeding the turtles."

They drove for a few more minutes until Felicity pointed out the sign. "There it is!"

Pulling her car off the dirt road, Sara came to a stop right behind the sign. They exited the car and made their way through the thin layer of forest that surrounded the lake, emerging into a beautiful, open clearing.

"Wow," Felicity said, taking in the crystal-clear water of the lake, the cloudless blue sky above their heads, and the vibrant green of the trees and grass. It looked like a scene you'd see pictured on a postcard.

"Yeah," Sara agreed. As she made her way to the edge of lake, she lifted her Starling City Rockets ball cap off her head and tossed it aside. Her t-shirt was next, followed quickly by her shorts until she was left standing on the edge of the lake in just her boy-short style underwear and sports bra.

"What are you doing?" Felicity called, still rooted to the same spot.

Sara turned, and Felicity's eyes swept over Sara's exposed stomach. "Swimming, duh! Come on!" She took a step into the lake. "The water's not bad!"

Felicity came closer, stopping once she reached the small sandy embankment. "I don't know," she said with a blush reddening her cheeks. "I didn't bring my swimsuit."

Sara laughed, walking deeper into the lake. The water was now up to her knees. "Neither did I!" Sara called, her tone matching the obviousness of her statement.

When Felicity didn't respond, Sara turned toward her, sinking chest-deep into the water. "What's wrong?" she asked, sensing the other girl's hesitation.

"It's just," Felicity began, scuffing her flip-flop clad foot into the sand and avoiding Sara's eyes, "you're in really good shape."

" _Felicity_ ," Sara whined in disbelief that the reason Felicity didn't want to swim was because she felt insecure about her body, and in front of Sara of all people. "Trust me. You have a great body. You have nothing to be nervous about."

Sara's compliment did not help to lessen her blush. "Not like yours," she mumbled.

"You know," Sara began. "When I was little, the other kids used to make fun of me and say I looked like a boy or that I was too muscular. I've really only started to like my body since high school, and I still get insecure about it all the time," Sara confessed, grabbing Felicity's attention. "There are so many different body types, and everyone has their own ideas about what they find attractive. You never know how someone else will feel about your body, but you can control how _you_ feel about it." She paused, looking Felicity in the eye. "And, well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that we all feel insecure about our bodies sometimes, but I promise you that I won't be thinking anything bad about your body, Felicity." _Quite the opposite, most likely_ , Sara thought to herself, but she couldn't very well say that aloud.

Felicity smiled softly at Sara's reassurances. She crossed her arms over her torso and pulled her shirt over her head, letting it drop onto the dirt.

Sara wolf-whistled at her, making Felicity blush harder. "Shut up!" Felicity called with laughter in her voice. Sara truly did make her feel comfortable in her own skin; she just accepted her for exactly who she was.

She pulled her shorts down next and then quickly raced into the water to join Sara. As she came barreling toward her, she watched as Sara's eyes widened in surprise, and when she reached her, Felicity pushed down firmly on her shoulders, dunking the other girl underwater.

Sara emerged seconds later, sputtering. "Hey!" she squealed, splashing some water at Felicity. Felicity just laughed and backed away from her a little, dodging.

She sobered and said sincerely, "I'm sorry the other kids made fun of you."

Sara shrugged. "It's okay." It was in the past now, and it wasn't Felicity's fault. Still, she appreciated the sentiment.

"If it's any consolation," Felicity began with a smile, circling around her friend, "I got made fun of, too. For being a nerd."

Sara shook her head, wide, teasing grin settling on her face as she spun to follow Felicity. "You _are_ a nerd."

Felicity splashed Sara again. "Yeah, but a cute nerd," she said, remembering how Iris had referred to her, Barry, and Amaya in that way at Tommy's party, and how Sara had agreed.

"And oh so humble," Sara joked, lunging for her. Felicity managed to move out of the way, causing Sara to dive face first into the lake due to her own momentum.

Felicity shrugged exaggeratedly. "I am many things," she confirmed, still joking.

They continued to splash and chase and dunk each other until they were short of breath and their bellies hurt from laughing. Sara reclined on her back and floated, staring up at the vast sky. Felicity did the same, and they floated in comfortable silence for some time, letting the bright sun warm their wet skin.

"Oh my god," Sara said suddenly, interrupting the tranquility that had settled over them. She started to swim back toward the shore.

"What?" Felicity asked, allowing her feet to sink down under her, pulling her upright once again.

Sara pointed and said, "Look. See that vine up over that rock? I'm gonna swing on it!"

Felicity's eyes widened as she followed the direction of Sara's finger. The rock was huge, at least six feet tall, and the vine did not look particularly thick and strong. "Uh, are you sure about this?" she called, as Sara began to scale the rock.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked as she made it to the top. She stood beaming down at Felicity with her hands settled on her hips. Felicity believed it was referred to as the power pose, and Sara pulled it off remarkably well. She could practically see the outline of every muscle on Sara's body.

Felicity scrunched up her nose. "Because it looks dangerous? That vine doesn't look very strong. What if it snaps? Or what if you hit your head on a rock or something?"

"Then I trust you to give me mouth-to-mouth," she replied with wink.

Felicity blushed as thoughts of pressing her lips to Sara's rushed unexpectedly into her mind. Shaking the thoughts from her head, Felicity tried to protest again, " _Sara._ "

"It'll be fine, Felicity. I promise!" She didn't allow Felicity any more time to object, and instead, grabbed hold of the vine and gave it a few hard tugs to test its sturdiness. She then took three huge steps forward and leapt off the edge of the rock and over the lake, swinging far out over the middle before letting go and dropping into the water, cannonball-style.

Felicity couldn't help but shriek in anticipation. Sara emerged, popping out of the water and swinging her hair up and back from her face. "That was awesome!" she gasped out. "You _have_ to try it!"

"Really?" Felicity's eyes sparkled with excitement. It _had_ looked fun.

Sara nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'm gonna do it again after you go."

"Okay, okay!" Felicity laughed; Sara's elation was contagious.

She climbed up the rock and grabbed ahold of the vine. Like Sara, she gave it a couple hard tugs just to make sure it'd hold her. She stepped closer to the edge of the rock, and when she looked down, her heart started pounding hard in her chest. It looked really high. Much higher than it had looked from below.

"You got this!" Sara called, sensing her hesitation. "Get a running start so you have enough momentum, and don't let go of the vine until you're out over the deepest part!"

Felicity stepped back. _You can do this,_ she chanted in her head. She grasped tight to the vine, took a few steps forward and then jumped, shrieking as she flew out over the lake. She heard Sara cheering for her as she let go of the vine and sank deep into the water.

Felicity felt giddy as she pushed through the surface of the lake. "That was _so_ much fun!"

They spent the next hour or so taking turns swinging from the vine or jumping off the rock until they started to feel tired and the sun was high in the sky.

"We should probably get out while the sun is still out so our underwear can dry," Sara said. When they both reached the shore, Felicity found a smooth rock to sit on. "Wait here," Sara said. "I'm going to go get something from my car."

Felicity chuckled. "Aren't you afraid someone will see you?" she asked, referring to Sara's state of undress.

Sara smirked. "Nah, Nate said this place was pretty secluded, and I'm only going to be up there for a minute. If someone comes, I'll just hide behind my car or something."

Felicity just shrugged. _Did Sara ever worry about anything?_ That girl was probably the most laid-back person Felicity had ever met.

Sara returned moments later to find Felicity reclined on the bank of the lake, eyes closed, soaking up the sun. Sara allowed her eyes to travel over Felicity's body; she couldn't believe that Felicity felt insecure about her body. Sara hadn't been lying when she had told Felicity she had a great body. She was thin, and toned, and curvy in all the right places.

"Whaddya get?" Felicity asked, opening her eyes and locking them with Sara's. Sara blushed a little and hoped Felicity hadn't caught her staring.

She held up the fishing pole she had fetched from her car. Bending over, she picked her ball cap up from the dirt and settled it back onto her head. She then settled next to Felicity and began to dig into the dirt to look for worms.

"I've never been fishing before," Felicity admitted.

"Really?" Sara asked, sounding surprised. She found a worm and baited her hook. Felicity scrunched her nose up in disgust. "My dad used to take me and Laurel all the time."

Felicity shrugged and looked out at the lake. "My dad left when I was seven. He wasn't really much of an outdoors-type anyway."

"I can teach you," Sara offered. She turned the reel until her bobber hit the top of the pole. "To cast, you hold this button in and bring your pole back, careful of the hook," Sara demonstrated. "Laurel hooked me once in the cheek when we were kids." Felicity's eyes widened and Sara chuckled. "I still have a small scar, but it just looks like a freckle. Then, you fling the rod over your head and release the button to cast your line." Felicity watched as the line flew into the lake, landing perfectly in the deepest area. "Now, we just keep an eye on the bobber and when it goes under, that means we've got a bite. Wanna try?"

"Sure," Felicity agreed easily. Sara reeled the line in and walked Felicity through the steps once more.

"Not bad!" Sara complimented as the bobber landed in the water. Felicity's cast didn't go as far as Sara's, but it was pretty good for a first time. "Now, we wait."

After a few moments of companionable silence, Sara asked, "Do you miss your dad?"

"I do," Felicity nodded, watching as Sara drew patterns in the dirt with her finger. "We were a lot more similar than my mom and me."

"How so?" Sara asked quietly, pausing her drawing to meet Felicity's eyes.

"I guess you haven't met my mom yet," Felicity laughed. "but when you do, you'll understand. I get my nerdiness from my dad. My love of learning and computer science all comes from him. My mom tries, but she doesn't really understand why school is so important to me."

"Everyone always says that Laurel is a lot like my dad and that I'm more like my mom," Sara said, barely above a whisper, going back to her finger-drawing.

Felicity couldn't imagine what Sara had been through when she had lost her mom. Sure, their situations were similar in some ways; they both had parents that had left them, but Felicity knew (or at least she was pretty sure) that her dad was still alive, and that if she ever wanted to try to find him, she had that option. Sara's mom hadn't wanted to leave; Sara's mom had wanted to be part of her children's lives, but she had been taken from them. Felicity's dad had made that choice all on his own.

"Life still feels weird without her," Sara continued. "It's been over a year and I still miss her all the time, still wish I could talk to her about _everything_. Does it ever get easier?"

Felicity shrugged. "There are days that I miss him a lot, and there are days that I don't think about him at all. But, it's different for me. I mean, my dad _chose_ to leave… I can't really know what it will be like for you."

Sara nodded. "I think it's similar, though. We both suffered the loss of a parent, even though the circumstances are different. My mom would have liked you," Sara said, glancing at Felicity to smile at her. "She'd have said you're a good influence on me."

Felicity smiled down at her knees. Her stomach felt warm and tingly. It was a nice thought, that Sara's mom would have liked her.

There was a slight tug on the pole still clutched in her hand, and her eyes immediately went to the lake where the bobber had been. "Oh my god! We have a bite!" she exclaimed excitedly, jumping to her feet.

"Okay," Sara said, coaching her. "Give the pole a jerk backwards to lodge the hook. Now, reel it in!"

Felicity did as she was told, walking down to the edge of the lake as she continued to reel in the line. "Aww, look at him," she said as the fish broke through the surface.

"You just caught yourself a fish!" Sara said, pride lacing her tone.

An accomplished smile lifted her cheeks. "Now what do we do?" she asked, accidentally swinging the fish toward Sara's face. Sara laughed, stepping back quickly. "Sorry!"

Sara grabbed the fish and removed it from the hook. "Now we throw him back. Unless you want to grill him up later?" she joked.

"Let's throw him back," Felicity said quickly. She had no desire to cook up the little guy.

Sara laughed at Felicity's immediate response. She squatted down and placed the fish back into the water where he swam away.

"That was a good way to end the day! We should probably actually head back soon," Sara said, noticing the sun was beginning to set. She felt goosebumps spread all over her. With the sun no longer high in the sky, the air had taken on a very modest chill. "I'm all dry, are you?"

"Yep," Felicity confirmed heading toward her discarded shirt and shorts. They dressed quickly, and Sara grabbed her fishing pole.

In minutes, Felicity was settled back into the passenger seat of Sara's car riding into the setting sun.

"Today was really fun," Felicity remarked, feeling somewhat sad that it was almost over. She gazed at the pretty colors filling the sky: oranges, pinks, yellows, and purples.

Sara smiled over at her. "It really was. It'll probably be too cold to swim there again until next summer, but we could make it our fishing spot until the lake freezes over."

Felicity's stomach fluttered. She liked the sound of that. _Our spot_.

Sara grinned, cranking the radio as they headed back into town.

 _I wanna get college-girl drunk tonight_

 _No morning fears, no mountains to climb_

 _They say the best memories_

 _Are the ones that we forget_

 **. . .**

"Wait, wait, wait! So, Oliver kissed you?! I can't believe you didn't tell me until now!" Curtis exclaimed during lunch on Monday. Felicity was sitting at her usual table with her three closest friends, finally updating them on everything that had happened over the weekend. "How was it? Was he a good kisser?"

Felicity blushed. She wasn't normally the type to gush and spill sordid details to her friends. "He _is_ a good kisser, and it was going really well until… I got sick and vomited all over the sidewalk."

"What?!" Cisco blurted out through a laugh.

Felicity nodded. "Yep. Apparently you shouldn't mix alcohol and pot brownies."

"You ate a pot brownie?!" Caitlyn exclaimed surprised. "Who are you and what have you done with Felicity?"

Felicity sighed, "I know! But Oliver offered it to me, and I didn't want to tell him 'no', you know?"

"So what happened after you puked?" Curtis asked.

"I was _mortified_ so I just took off and ran back to the party." She paused, smiling. "Luckily, I ran into Sara, and she took care of me."

"Sara's who you hung out with at Tommy's party, right?" Caitlyn asked.

Felicity nodded. "Yeah. We have Lit together and have become pretty good friends, actually. We hung out yesterday, too, and it was so much fun. We went swimming at Lake Ogawa, and she taught me how to fish."

"Have you talked to Oliver since the party?" Caitlyn asked.

She smiled, raising her eyebrow slightly. "He texted me last night. Must have asked around for my number, because I never gave it to him. Anyway, he asked me to go out with him on Friday! I really thought that I had ruined everything, and that he'd think I was totally disgusting or something for getting sick."

Caitlyn squealed. "That's awesome!"

Felicity smiled, happy that her friends were so excited for her.

"So," Caitlyn continued, intrigue dripping from her tone, "what else happened at the party? Tell us more about the lifestyles of the rich and famous."

Felicity spent the rest of the lunch hour filling her friends in on every little detail about Nyssa's party, her enormous mansion, and the cast of characters: Oliver, Sara, Nyssa, Amaya, Barry, and Iris.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Felicity and Curtis waved goodbye to Caitlyn and Cisco, and headed down the hall to their next class.

"So," Curtis said, bumping her shoulder lightly and looking at her expectantly. "You have a crush."

Felicity's eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she looked at Curtis, raising an eyebrow. _Why was he stating the obvious?_ "Already know that, Curtis; it's not news."

"Oh, it's news, alright," Curtis replied with a cryptic smile, tone dripping of gossip.

"What are you talking about?" Felicity asked with a chuckle.

They slid into their seats in study hall, and Curtis leaned over to whisper in Felicity's ear, "You are totally crushing on Sara Lance."

Felicity's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in surprise. "What?"

"You mentioned her, like, a _hundred_ times at lunch, and every time you did, you got this goofy smile on your face. It's the _exact_ same look I used to get when I was crushing on Rene."

The bell rang, and Ms. Darhk walked to the center of the room. "Alright, everyone, quiet down and get to work."

 _We're just friends!_ Felicity scrawled on a loose scrap of paper and passed it over to Curtis. _I like Oliver!_

Curtis smiled as he read the note and scribbled back, _Girl, you are in denial. Lemme ask you this: Do you get excited when she texts you? Moreso than you do when I or Caitlyn or Cisco do? Do you want to hang out with her more than your other friends? Do you make excuses to touch her? Have you ever thought about kissing her, or more?_

He smirked triumphantly as he watched her read over it, and a blush colored her cheeks. She looked up at him with a pointed glare and crumbled their note up, tossing it into her backpack.

 _Yes_ , she did all of those things, but did it mean that she had a crush on Sara? She got excited to read Sara's texts and spend time with her because she was a new friend, a _cool_ friend, who Felicity never would have thought she'd be friends with. And, she'd only thought about kissing Sara a few times, probably just because Sara was bisexual and kissed girls, so naturally Felicity would wonder about what it'd be like to kiss her; that's all. _Right?_

 **. . .**

"Okay, so just wait out here. I'll be back in a minute," Sara said as she opened the car door.

"Aren't you nervous? Do you _ever_ get nervous?" Felicity asked.

"A little," she confessed, and then smirked. "But that's what makes it fun. The thrill you feel when you _might_ get caught; the rush you feel when you don't."

Felicity just shook her head.

"Be right back," Sara said, turning to head into the liquor store.

Felicity tapped her fingers nervously against the steering wheel as she stared through her rearview mirror at the entrance to the store. Sara's fearlessness was definitely one of the things Felicity admired about her most. Moments later, Sara emerged with a victorious smile carrying a brown paper bag very obviously covering a bottle of liquor.

"See?" Sara said, sliding into the passenger seat. "No problem!" She held up the fake ID and said, "At least Constantine is good for something."

"Lemme see that," Felicity said grabbing the ID from Sara. Their fingers brushed for a second and Felicity was very aware of that fact. _Thanks, Curtis_.

In fact, since Curtis had put the idea into her head that she maybe had a crush on Sara, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She _did_ get excited when Sara texted her. She _did_ want to spend time with Sara above everyone else. Her belly did somersaults and her skin tingled whenever they touched. She felt flustered and flattered when Sara flirted with her, and she _had_ on multiple occasions wondered what kissing Sara would be like.

It had been messing with her head so much that it had even impacted her date with Oliver the previous night. It was a first date, they're meant to be somewhat awkward, but every time there was an awkward lull in their conversation, Felicity couldn't help thinking that it had never been that awkward when she had begun hanging out with Sara.

Overall, the date went really well. Oliver took her to a nice restaurant, and he looked handsome as ever. He complimented her more than once on her appearance and paid for dinner. And while the compliments had been appreciated and had definitely made her blush, they didn't make her stomach twist in that pleasant way it did when Sara made an offhanded remark about how pretty she was.

He had laced his fingers through hers when he walked her to her door, and she had taken note of just how large his hand was, how it nearly engulfed the entirety of hers, and she couldn't decide if she liked it or not. Whenever Sara had grabbed her hand, theirs were much more evenly matched and seemed to fit together perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. And when he kissed her goodnight, memories of the way Sara's lips had looked pressed against Nyssa's flashed behind her closed eyelids.

So, yeah, she found herself comparing Oliver to Sara all night.

Even still, it wasn't enough to fully convince her that Curtis was right. She still found Oliver attractive, and she had been really excited for their date. And even though she thought about Sara kissing Nyssa while she was kissing Oliver, she still enjoyed the feel of Oliver's lips against her own.

How could she be sure that what she felt toward Sara was romantic in nature? She had never had crushes on girls in the past, so she didn't really have anything to go by or compare her current situation to. She wasn't entirely convinced that what she felt for Sara wasn't just admiration. Sara was probably the coolest person Felicity knew; who wouldn't feel flattered if someone as cool as Sara wanted to be friends and hang out all the time?

She stared at the ID. "This looks legit; Constantine did a good job." She squinted down at the picture of Sara and smirked, "Aww, look at this picture of you. You look so cute."

"Gimme that," Sara said, snatching it back. Felicity noticed the very light pink that tinged Sara's cheeks at Felicity's light teasing. "Alight. Let's go get drunk!"

An hour and a few vodka sodas later, the girls were sprawled across the couch in Felicity's living room. The TV was on, and Sara had settled on a trashy episode of _Cheaters_.

"Sara?" Felicity mused, taking a small sip of her vodka soda.

"Hmm?" Sara responded, tearing her eyes from the dramatic scene currently unfolding on the TV to look at Felicity.

"How did you know you were bi?" Sara had never explicitly mentioned her sexuality to Felicity before, but she seemed quite open about it. Felicity hoped that it was okay for her to ask; she had been wanting to all week, and the alcohol had finally given her the courage to do so.

Sara thought for a minute and then replied, "I guess I just always kinda knew. I had crushes on girls the same way I had crushes on boys growing up."

"But," Felicity pressed, swirling the liquid in her glass around, "how did you know that what you felt toward those girls was a crush and not just feelings of admiration? Or that the way you felt was different from the way straight girls feel about their friends?"

"I don't think straight girls dream about finger fucking girls that they just admire," Sara said bluntly, probably a result of the alcohol flowing through her veins. Still, Felicity blushed at her crassness. Sara continued, "I remember one time in kindergarten, some girl asked me who from our class I wanted to marry, and I said Abigail Ford. The girl looked at me and frowned, telling me that girls couldn't marry other girls. I guess that's when I realized that I was different from many of the other kids."

"That's awful," Felicity said, reaching over to touch Sara's arm comfortingly.

Sara shrugged. "Yeah, but, I mean, kids don't know any better. She only knew what a hetero-normative society had taught her; that boys and girls date each other. But, after that, I was careful not to say anything similar for a long time. I felt like there was maybe something wrong with me and I needed to keep it hidden."

Felicity slid from the couch and onto the floor stretching her legs out in front of her, "But you continued to have crushes on girls?" She craned her neck up to look at Sara.

"Well, like, as much as you can when you're a kid. One year we got a new girl in class, and I just remember thinking she was cute and wanting to be around her. I really liked the way her ponytail swished back and forth when she walked. There were a few other times where'd I think a classmate was cute and try to become friends with her, just to be close to her."

Felicity nodded, feeling like she could relate somewhat to elementary-school Sara. What Sara went through seemed similar to what Felicity was currently going through, only the teenage version. "What changed? What made you okay with being out?"

"I met Nyssa, and she was totally okay with being queer. She helped me realize that it was okay, and that I should be who I am, and the people who matter won't care."

Nyssa seemed like a really good influence on Sara's life; Felicity was glad that she had had someone like that, to support her when times were tough.

She wondered if Sara had ended things with her or if they were still hooking up. She hoped it was the former, because she really liked Nyssa and felt she deserved better than that.

"Any reason for the sudden curiosity about my sexuality?" Sara asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Felicity answered quickly; perhaps too quickly. She felt color rise to her cheeks, so she bent her head to stare down into her drink. "Just, uh, curious."

She was still staring into her drink, so she missed the smug, yet pleased smirk that settled on Sara's lips.

 **A/N: The first set of song lyrics come from Bleachers "Rollercoaster"; the second come from The Wombats "Turn".**

 **I think Caity Lotz has talked a little bit about being called a boy or being told she was too muscular as a kid, and so those comments inspired the conversation at the lake. I figure Caity and Sara share the same body, so maybe they had similar experiences growing up haha**

 **Also, it's been awhile since I've been fishing so please forgive the use of any incorrect terms or description (let me know, so I can change it!)**

 **I'm notoriously bad at estimating chapter length & numbers, so now there will be 5 total chapters instead of 4!**

 **Please leave me a comment letting me know what you thought of this chapter or the story so far in general! I really appreciate everyone who has left a comment so far! You guys make my day! :)**

 **-H.M. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is rated M for smut. Please don't read if you have a problem with that!**

 **TW: There is a conversation about death in this chapter, and while there is no explicit mention of suicidal thoughts/ideation, it could potentially be triggering, so I wanted to put this warning in just in case.**

 **The lyrics at the end of the chapter are from The Lumineers' song "Sleep on the Floor"**

 **I hope you all enjoy this extra long chapter!**

* * *

good Trouble

Part IV: I'm here tonight and I want her

The bonfire crackled, sending bits of charred wood and ash up into the darkened night sky. Sara watched as one particularly large piece of ash, still glowing red with heat, drifted slowly back to earth, landing in the grass near her feet.

She pressed the button on her phone to light up the screen, wondering when Felicity would get there.

Nyssa's yard was filled with the usual weekend crowd; she knew Nyssa hated to be alone when her dad was out of town (this became even more true after her older sister had started college this year).

She didn't know when her ability to have fun seemed to hinge on Felicity's presence, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Hey," Nyssa said, sitting on the bench next to her.

Sara replied with a smile, "Hey. Nice party."

Nyssa shot her a knowing smile and handed her a beer. "You don't look like you're having much fun over here. I've seen you check your phone three times in the past fifteen minutes."

Sara just shrugged taking a sip from the beer. She said, "I'm fine."

Waiting a beat, Nyssa said softly, "You like her, don't you? Felicity."

Sara met her eyes carefully. Nyssa had taken it well, when Sara had put an end to the casual friends-with-benefits thing they were doing. Sara hadn't known that Nyssa still had feelings for her until Felicity had told her, and she realized that having a friends-with-benefits relationship wasn't fair to the other girl. Even so, she wasn't sure how Nyssa would handle Sara having feelings for someone else, and she _never_ wanted to do anything to hurt Nyssa. Nyssa had helped her through so much; had been there for her after her mom died. Sara would always care about Nyssa, but she couldn't help that her feelings for the other girl had changed.

Sara nodded once in confirmation. There was no use trying to lie; Nyssa knew her too well.

Nyssa turned to stare into the fire and continued, "You've been spending a lot of time together lately. Do you think she might like you back?"

Shaking her head, Sara's eyes dropped down the beer she now held between her knees. "She's into Ollie."

Nyssa hummed. She didn't sound convinced.

Sara didn't question her, though. She honestly didn't feel like talking about it. When she had become friends with Felicity a little over a month ago, she'd had a tiny crush on the girl. Who wouldn't? Felicity was adorable, and sweet, and super smart. She'd had no way of knowing just how much her feelings would develop over time. The more time they spent together (and as Nyssa alluded to, they _had_ been spending a lot of time together), the harder Sara fell. And now she was in a place no one ever wanted to be, pining after someone who was into someone else.

"Speak of the devil," Nyssa said. Sara lifted her head and saw Felicity rounding the side of the house with Barry, Amaya, and a few people Sara recognized but didn't know. "Do you know who's with them?"

Sara shook her head. "No."

"Well, let's go say 'hi' and introduce ourselves!" Nyssa bumped their shoulders together before standing and heading toward the newcomers.

They reached Felicity at the same time Oliver did, so Sara had to watch as Ollie slung his arm over Felicity's shoulders and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Blushing slightly, Felicity's eyes flickered over to meet Sara's. Sara quickly looked away.

Nyssa swooped in, asking, "Who are your friends?"

"These are Felicity's friends Curtis, Cisco, and Caitlyn," Amaya said. "We were all working on our bridges for STEM club earlier today. I hope it's okay that we invited them to come along."

"Of course!" Nyssa replied, enthusiastically. Sara recognized the look in Nyssa's eyes as she looked Caitlyn up and down. "We have Bio together, don't we?"

Caitlyn nodded with a smile.

"You're really smart," Nyssa complimented, shifting closer. "Do you want something to drink?"

Nyssa led Caitlyn away after Felicity urged her to 'go have fun!' and the rest of the group also began to disperse.

Felicity smiled at her, slipping out of Oliver's embrace. "Sara! I have something for you," she said all sing-songy.

Sara smiled at her, feeling pleased that Felicity's attention had shifted from Oliver to herself. "What?" she asked, sounding intrigued, yet skeptical.

She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a cookie wrapped in cellophane. She smiled saying, "It's that time of year."

Sara's brows furrowed, confused.

"You don't remember?" Felicity's tone was teasingly accusatory. Sara shrugged, shaking her head, but her smile had grown at Felicity's playfulness. "I got you a pumpkin spice cookie! You said you'd try it, remember?"

Laughing, Sara took the proffered cookie. "Oh my god, I forgot about that. Thank you."

"Aren't you gonna try it?" Felicity asked as Ollie took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. Sara's eyes immediately zoned in on their clasped hands. _When had they become a thing?_ She knew they had gone on a date, but she had been under the impression that they were still pretty casual. The way Ollie had greeted her and now held her hand didn't seem casual; it seemed possessive, like he was staking his claim.

Tearing her eyes away and back to Felicity's she said with a small chuckle, "Right now?"

Felicity just nodded excitedly, so Sara unwrapped the cellophane and tore off a piece of the cookie with her fingers.

Sara nodded, swallowing. "It _is_ good," she confirmed. Felicity's eyes sparkled as she smiled triumphantly.

"Hey, Felicity, let's go get drinks," Oliver said, tugging gently on their linked hands.

Felicity shifted her eyes from Sara to Oliver. "Oh, um, yeah sure."

As Ollie pulled her away, Felicity turned back to look Sara. It felt weird to see Felicity being led around the party by someone other than herself.

As the party went on, Sara began to notice that everyone seemed to be pairing off. Nyssa was flirting with Felicity's friend Caitlyn, Oliver had hardly left Felicity's side, there was Barry and Iris, Dig and Lyla, and Amaya and Nate. At some point Laurel had shown up (which was kind of weird. She hadn't been to a group hang-out since her break up with Ollie, but Sara supposed that it had been a few months now and maybe she was over it) and was now hanging all over Tommy.

Sara just drank more.

 **. . .**

Felicity was feeling warm and tingly. She'd had a few of those yummy wine coolers and was finally feeling a calming, happy buzz. Things had felt sort of awkward when she'd first arrived, and she knew that was because of her split feelings for Oliver and Sara.

It seemed after their date last weekend that Oliver had decided he was into her, because he hadn't left her side all night. It felt nice to have his attention focused on her, and his arm around her shoulders kept her warm in the chilly October air, but his presence had meant that she hadn't been able to hang out with Sara really at all.

She missed goofing around with her. Sara didn't seem to be having much fun, Felicity had noted as she stared across the fire at her. She wasn't really talking much to anyone and seemed to have a permanent frown plastered across her face. Felicity wondered what was upsetting her.

Oliver leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Come inside with me?"

She didn't really want to leave the group around the fire, but she felt like she should go with him since he asked, so she nodded. Sara didn't even look up at her as they walked past, and Felicity hoped she wasn't mad at her for some reason.

Once inside, Oliver pulled her into an empty bedroom. "I've been wanting to do this all night," he said as he slipped one hand behind her head to tug her closer. His lips met hers, and Felicity sighed into the kiss.

She tried to get into it, really she did, but her mind was elsewhere. She was worried about Sara. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Sara had not been her usual boisterous self all night. She seemed mopey and she had drank _a lot._

Oliver's hands trailed down her sides and around to the backs of her thighs where he gently applied more pressure. She followed his lead, lifting her legs to wrap around his waist as he carried her over to the bed.

She wondered if maybe Sara was upset because Nyssa had been flirting with Caitlyn all night. She didn't think so, Sara seemed to be over Nyssa.

Oliver's hands trailed up her stomach as he kissed down her neck. "Is this okay?" he asked, as his hand found her breast.

Felicity nodded, trying to be present with Oliver. This had been what she had wanted since Freshman year, to feel the weight of his body pinning hers to a bed as his mouth explored hers. But that didn't seem to register at the moment, as she was still distracted by thoughts of Sara. This was the first time since they'd begun to hang out that they were at the same place but had hardly spent any time together. Felicity wondered if maybe that's what had caused Sara's mood, but she almost immediately pushed the thought away, feeling somewhat conceited for thinking it. Sara had tons of friends; Felicity wasn't _that_ important.

But once the thought was there, it kept creeping back into her brain. Was it possible that Sara returned Felicity's feelings? Felicity found it hard to believe, since Sara was just so much cooler and more exciting than she was, but Sara _did_ like spending time with her. She attempted to block those thoughts out, because she really didn't want to get her hopes up. Either way, Sara had mentioned that she didn't want to be tied down by a girlfriend, so the point was moot. Reciprocated feelings or not, Felicity would never be able to be with Sara Lance.

Felicity knew that she should be happy to be with Oliver; she had liked him for so long and she finally had the chance to be with him. If his enthusiasm was any indication, he liked her, too. She knew that she needed to put thoughts of Sara out of her head for the time being and give this thing with Oliver a real chance.

They made out for awhile, and Felicity was finally able to focus on how nice it felt to be with him.

Later, they rejoined the party with fresh drinks in hand. Felicity looked around for Sara, but didn't see her. She wondered if she had left, and if she had, Felicity hoped she hadn't driven.

Caitlyn shot her a knowing smile, her eyes darting between Felicity and Oliver as they took a seat at the fire pit. Felicity wondered how long she and Oliver had been gone. It hadn't felt long, but it must have been noticeable. Felicity returned her intrigued grin with one of her own, as she mimicked Caitlyn, only eyes darted back and forth between her friend and Nyssa, who was seated next to Caitlyn, their thighs pressed together. Caitlyn just smiled and shrugged.

"Oh my god," Nyssa said, drawing Felicity's attention. Nyssa was up on her feet in an instant, heading in the direction toward her house. "Sara!" she called. "What are you doing?!"

Felicity gasped as she took in the sight that had drawn Nyssa's attention. Sara had clambered up onto the deck railing and was attempting to cross it like a balance beam.

Sara grinned down at them shouting, "I'm livening up this dull-ass party."

"Sara, get down!" Felicity yelled up to her. She didn't even remember walking from the fire pit to the pool below the deck. Her heart thudded in her chest. Sara was _drunk_ and drunk people do not have good balance.

Sara dangled her beer carelessly in her hand as she took an exaggerated step forward, swinging her foot down off the rail.

The rest of the crowd of teenagers had assembled around the pool, staring up at Sara in trepidation and horror. It was like everyone knew something bad was about to happen.

"Please, Sara. You're going to hurt yourself," Laurel called, her voice wavering slightly with fear.

Sara stared down at them through heavy-lidded eyes and frowned. "Alright, alright. Sheesh! You guys are no fun."

As she turned to jump back onto the deck, it was like everything happened in slow motion. Felicity watched as Sara's foot slipped against the railing, sending her off-balance. The arm that was holding her beer shot up above her head, flinging amber liquid everywhere as she attempted to regain her balance. But she couldn't. Instead, she fell backwards off the deck and straight down into the pool.

Nyssa and Laurel screamed. Felicity lost her voice. Everyone stood frozen in shock as they stared into the pool. Seconds that felt like minutes passed until Sara broke through the surface of the water, sputtering and coughing, arms flinging wildly as she made her way to the edge of the pool. Oliver and Tommy helped pull her out, and she rolled onto her side on the concrete and coughed the last bit of water out of her lungs.

"Holy shit," she said with a laugh once she had caught her breath. No one laughed with her.

"That wasn't funny, Sara," Nyssa said with a frown.

Sara rolled onto her back and frowned at the disapproving faces above her. Some of the crowd began to disperse knowing that Sara was okay.

"It's just Sara being Sara," Laurel said, sounding frustrated and angry.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Laurel," she began, but Laurel shook her head.

"No, Sara! You'd think that after losing Mom you'd stop being so reckless. You're so selfish!" she shouted. She shook her head, and it was as if she wanted to say more, but she simply turned and walked away. Tommy followed after her.

Nyssa offered her hand to Sara and pulled her up. "Come on. You can borrow some of my clothes."

Felicity trailed behind as Nyssa led Sara to her room. Nyssa dug around in her dresser and tossed a t-shirt and a pair of soffe shorts onto the bed. Sara changed quickly out of her wet clothes, not phased at all by the presence of Nyssa and Felicity in the room. Once fully clothed, she sat heavily on the edge of Nyssa's bed.

"Go on; climb in. You can stay here tonight," Nyssa commanded, and Sara did as she was told, peeling the covers back and slipping underneath.

Laying her hand on Felicity's arm, Nyssa said quietly, "I'm going to get her a glass of water. Do you want to stay here with her?"

Felicity didn't know how Nyssa knew that's exactly what she wanted to do, but she nodded, deciding not to question it.

"Do you want to borrow some clothes to sleep in, too?" Nyssa asked.

"Sure. Thanks, Nyssa. Will you tell Oliver and Caitlyn where I am?" Curtis and Cisco had already left.

"Of course." Nyssa found another t-shirt and pair of shorts and handed them to Felicity, who changed quickly once Nyssa left to go fetch the glass of water.

"Hey," Felicity said quietly as she crawled into bed next to Sara. She pulled the comforter up to their chins and rolled onto her side so that she was facing Sara, their faces just inches apart.

"Hey," Sara replied quietly, tears shining unshed in her eyes. "Are you going to yell at me, too?"

"No," Felicity said, reaching forward to grab Sara's hand. It was still cold from the water. "but I am going to tell you how scary it was to see you fall like that. If you were a couple of feet further down the railing, you would have landed on the concrete. You could have died." Her voice was calm and even, intentionally non-accusatory.

"I know," Sara whispered and a tear slipped out from her eye and trailed across her nose. Felicity released her hand so that she could wipe it away.

Nyssa returned with two glasses of water. "Sit up," she said gently and then handed Sara the glass. Sara gulped the whole thing down, and then slid back underneath the covers.

"Thanks, Nyssa," she mumbled quietly.

Nyssa hummed in acknowledgment then said to Felicity as she set the second glass onto the nightstand, "You guys can share this one."

Felicity nodded, and Nyssa left the room to rejoin the party.

"Why'd you do it?" she asked once they were alone again.

Sara shrugged. "I don't know." She paused for a long moment. "Sometimes I just feel so _numb_ ; it's like I just need to do something to remind me that I'm alive. Like, I just want to make sure I get to feel and experience everything life has to offer while I can, because you just never know when you'll die. I know it's morbid."

"You were feeling numb tonight?" Felicity asked, stroking Sara's arm lightly with the tips of her fingers. "I noticed you seemed kind of down."

"It was just one of those nights."

"Why?"

"Sometimes," Sara whispered, "I wonder if I was supposed to die with my mom in the car accident."

Felicity's brow furrowed.

"I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I feel like I cheated death. I've come close to dying three times already, well four if you want to count tonight. When I was a baby, I almost drowned in the bathtub. My dad left me alone for _one minute_ and when he came back, he said I was face down in the water. He had to do CPR on me as a _baby_. Then, when I was eight, I poked at a beehive with a stick and got stung a bunch. I didn't know I was allergic until my throat started to swell up. And then there was the car accident." Sara's voice wavered slightly as she became emotional. "It was bad; the car flipped. Somehow, I only fractured my wrist, but Mom… It just doesn't make any sense. I just keep thinking that all of those times, I should have died, and somehow just got lucky each time. So, I know it's fucked up, but sometimes I think I put myself in situations to give death, or fate, or _whatever_ , the opportunity to make things right; to take me if I'm not supposed to be here."

Felicity couldn't imagine having those heavy feelings weighing on her. Sara hid it so well most of the time. Pulling Sara close to her, she wrapped her arms tightly around the other girl. Her skin was cold; Felicity didn't know how she wasn't shivering.

She pulled away and wiped at Sara's tears. "Well," she began, "I think that if that were the case, fate would have worked itself out by now. Maybe instead of dying, you're actually supposed to have lived through all that. Maybe surviving was meant to shape your life in some way; help you become the person you're meant to be." _The fearless thrill-seeker that you are; the girl who turns any mundane experience into something worthwhile and fun_ ,Felicity finished in her head.

"Maybe." Sara laughed, "That's definitely a much more positive way to think about it."

"I'm glad you're alive," Felicity whispered, tucking some of Sara's damp hair behind her ear. "I don't know what I'd do without you in my life."

Sara smirked sleepily at her. "You'd be _so_ boring without me." She punctuated her statement with a big yawn.

"True," Felicity agreed with an easy smile.

After everything that had happened that night, Felicity felt the need to be close to Sara, to make sure she was okay. So she rolled onto her side facing away from the other blonde and then shifted backwards until her back was pressed to Sara's front. If she needed to, she'd blame her clinginess on the alcohol.

She felt Sara sigh against her, and then felt an arm snake around her waist, pulling her closer. Felicity's heart thudded erratically in her chest at their intimate position. She knew there was nothing to it, really; just two friends seeking comfort in one another. But still, the weight of Sara's arm resting over her hips and curled against her stomach, the tickle of her breath evening out against the back of her neck, and the warmth of their bodies pressed together made her belly flip pleasantly while heat pooled between her thighs.

It was going to be a long night.

 **. . .**

"Come on! It's Fall Break! What _else_ are you gonna do?" Felicity pleaded.

"Literally _anything_ other than go on a date with Tommy Merlyn." Sara deadpanned as she slammed the door to her locker shut.

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Okay. Double date was a _really_ bad choice of words," she admitted as they began to walk to Lit together. "It's just a hang out. Please," she whined, stretching the length of the word. "I don't want to hang out with just Oliver and Tommy. It'd be so much more fun if you were there."

Felicity gave Sara her most winning smile, and that was how Sara ended up playing truth or dare on the beach on the Sunday night of Fall Break with Felicity, Ollie, and Tommy. The guys had started a small fire, and Sara stared across it at Ollie with his arm slung across Felicity's shoulders.

"Dare," Sara responded with a confident smirk, turning her attention back to Tommy.

His eyes sparkled wickedly. "I dare you to go streaking all the way to the pier."

Felicity's eyes widened, but Sara's confident smirk didn't even falter. If anything, it grew and morphed into an excited grin.

"But it's freezing!" Felicity protested for her.

Sara locked eyes with her, almost challengingly, and then crossed her arms over her torso to pull her sweatshirt up and over her head. She shivered and then said with a laugh, "It's invigorating! Come with me, Felicity!"

Felicity tilted her head and raised her eyebrows as if to say, "Are you crazy?!"

"Come on!" Sara urged, standing and pulling her pants down and off her legs, leaving her in just a bra and panties. "It'll be fun!"

Sara's excitement was catching, and Felicity found herself wanting to be a part of it; wanting to be adventurous, like Sara was. She smiled a little and shrugged. "Oh, why not?" she agreed with a shake of her head, a little surprised at what she was about to do.

She stood, and hurriedly pulled her shirt and pants off before she could change her mind. She noticed Oliver was discretely checking her out, and she blushed, realizing how exposed she was.

"Ah, ah," Tommy said with a shake of his head. "All of it has to come off." He indicated with his hand to their undergarments.

"Come here," Sara said, pulling Felicity farther away from the fire and into the shadows. They removed the final pieces of their clothing and tossed them back toward the fire. Tommy and Oliver cheered raucously.

"Okay," Sara said, her blue eyes shining in the moonlight as they locked with Felicity's. Felicity shivered and goosebumps rose up all over her skin. "Ready?"

Teeth chattering loudly, Felicity managed a nod.

A wide smile stretched across Sara's face. She clasped Felicity's hand in hers, let out a loud whoop of excitement, and then took off, pulling Felicity with her.

The cool fall breeze chilled her skin, but her heart pounded, pumping blood through her veins, warming her from the inside out. Adrenalin took over, and she raced alongside Sara, hands still clasped together between their bodies.

They reached the pier, and it was only then that Felicity realized they were both laughing giddily through heavy breaths. She felt exhilarated and high, maybe the best she'd ever felt in her life. She felt _alive_.

She looked over at Sara who was bent slightly at the waist, her hands resting on her thighs as she gasped for breath through a wide grin. Sara straightened her back and tilted her head up to face the star-speckled sky, stretching her arms out wide to her sides as she spun around in a slow circle.

Felicity could only stare at her, something like wonder washing over her features at the sight of her friend so carefree. Her perfectly toned, strong body, stretched in such a graceful way under the spotlight of the full moon. The peaceful smile that had settled on her face. The smooth, freckled skin that covered her arms, face, and chest. And her nipples, pink and taut in the cold night air.

Felicity took in the sight of her and couldn't deny the heat that flowed in insistent waves through her body to pool low and deep in her belly. She clenched her thighs together subconsciously and wondered for the millionth time what it would be like to kiss Sara Lance.

She felt the first raindrop at the same time that Sara did, her forehead scrunching up as icy, unpleasant droplets landed across her upturned face.

"Uh oh," Sara said, smile still in place as her eyes finally met Felicity's. She shrieked as lightning streaked across the sky, and a loud clap of thunder sounded shortly after. At that point, the heavens opened up, and rain pelted down on them in steady force.

"Let's go!" she shouted, reaching for Felicity's hand again. They raced back toward the boys and fire, still smiling even through the rain.

When they got back, the fire had been extinguished by the rain, and Oliver and Tommy were nowhere to be seen. Their previously discarded clothing was in a pile, nearly soaked through.

"Those wimps!" Sara exclaimed, digging through the clothing. "At least they were nice enough to put our phones underneath; they're still dry." Sara checked her texts quickly, using her own head to shelter her phone. "They texted and said they went back to Tommy's place if we want to meet them there."

Felicity stood nearby shivering, the cold finally getting to her. Her hair was soaked and plastered to her face as she stood naked and hunched over, arms wrapped tightly around her middle, waiting for Sara to tell her what they should do.

"I've got some extra clothes in my car. Come on!" Sara grabbed the bundle of wet clothing and took off toward the empty parking lot. She immediately went for her trunk, where she pulled out two hoodies and two pairs of running shorts. "They're cold, too, but at least they're dry!"

They quickly pulled the clothes on over their naked bodies and jumped into Sara's car. Sara immediately blasted the heat, turning the temperature knob as high as it would go. They sat in silence for a few minutes, shivering and attempting to warm themselves up by rubbing their hands together in front of the air vents and blowing on their icy fingers. Sara handed Felicity a scrunchie so she could pull her wet hair back and did the same with her own.

After a few moments, Felicity finally stopped shivering. She looked at Sara and started laughing uncontrollably. Sara joined her and they laughed hysterically for a few moments. When Felicity finally caught her breath, she said, "Wow; that was amazing!"

Sara laughed. "Who knew running naked on the beach in the pouring rain could feel so freeing." She reached for the knob on her radio, turning it until she settled on a song she liked. "I love this song."

 _Pack yourself a toothbrush dear  
Pack yourself a favorite blouse  
Take a withdrawal slip  
Take all of your savings out_

Felicity stared (rather unabashedly so) as Sara leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Her cheeks were still flushed a light pink, whether from exertion, the cold night air and rain, or the heat in the car, Felicity didn't know; and she had a small, content smile on her lips. She looked so beautiful.

Turning her head against the headrest, Sara opened her eyes and caught Felicity staring. "What?" she asked softly, content smile slowing transforming into a curious grin. Felicity felt her stomach flip at that look on her face, at the husky sound of her low voice.

 _'Cause if we don't leave this town  
We might never make it out  
I was not born to drown  
Baby come on_

Felicity swallowed. She felt courageous, maybe due to the adrenalin still overwhelming her system, so she asked, "Do you think I'm attractive?"

Sara's eyes narrowed slightly at her in suspicion. After a second, she pursed her lips and said, "I think you are gorgeous, inside and out."

Felicity groaned softly. With a roll of her eyes she said, "That feels like a cop out."

With a small, incredulous laugh, Sara balked, "It's not!" Her eyes softened then, maybe realizing that Felicity was serious. Holding eye contact, Sara continued, "I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever met. Sometimes, when I look at you, my breath stops."

 _Forget what Father Brennan said_

 _We were not born in sin_

 _Leave a note on your bed_

 _Let your mother know you're safe_

 _And by the time she wakes_

 _We'll have driven through the state_

 _We'll have driven through the night_

 _Baby come on_

Felicity blushed a little at Sara's honesty. She felt that exact same way about Sara. Did that mean Sara was attracted to her, too? Or was she just trying to be a good friend, and reassure Felicity. Either way, Felicity had to know more.

"So," she began hesitantly, averting her eyes from Sara's intense eye contact. "Why haven't you ever, like, hit on me or made a move?"

Laughing loudly, Sara quickly replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, " _Because_ you're straight! And you like Ollie!"

"Okay," Felicity pressed on nervously. "But if I wasn't straight?"

"Well _then_ ," she hummed, her confident, teasing smirk firmly in place. "I'd hit on you, no question, and _you_ wouldn't be able to resist my charm."

Felicity didn't laugh at Sara's teasing; the moment felt too heavy. She knew that Sara thought she was just being hypothetical for the fun of it, but Sara had given her the answer she had wanted; Sara found Felicity attractive. And now, she wanted to make it clear that it wasn't just a hypothetical.

That she _had_ liked Oliver, yes, but the thing was, whenever she was with Oliver, she was always thinking about Sara. Oliver was sweet, and caring, and attractive, but Sara… Sara was reckless. Sara kissed boys _and_ girls, and didn't care what anyone thought. She was the truest version of herself, and Felicity had fallen for her.

 _If the sun don't shine on me today  
And if the subways flood and bridges break  
Will you lay yourself down and dig your grave  
Or will you rail against your dying day_

When Sara noticed that Felicity wasn't laughing, her lips turned down into a tiny frown and her eyebrows scrunched together in slight confusion.

Felicity stared into Sara's eyes and tried to will her to understand. She didn't know if she was brave enough to make the first move. Her eyes traveled down to Sara's full lips, and then back up to meet Sara's eyes. _Take the hint_ , she chanted in her head.

Sara did. Her eyes widened slightly (almost comically if not for the heaviness of the moment) in realization, and suddenly, the car felt _too_ hot. Sara's pupils expanded, darkening with desire and her own eyes flicked down to Felicity's lips as her tongue darted out to moisten her own.

"Felicity?" Sara softly questioned, seeking assurance that she was interpreting the situation correctly.

Seeing Sara's reaction, hearing the way she said her name, it was enough confirmation to Felicity that her feelings weren't one-sided. She leaned forward slowly, over the center console, eyes never leaving Sara's.

As she neared, Sara's eyelids fluttered shut. She tilted her own chin forward slightly and closed the remaining distance to press her lips to Felicity's.

Felicity's breathing halted and she felt like her brain was short-circuiting. Her heart pounded against the inside of her ribcage, pumping blood straight to her core, igniting a dull ache at the juncture of her thighs. Sara's lips were _impossibly_ soft as they began to move hesitantly against hers.

Felicity had only just begun to respond when Sara broke the kiss and pulled back slowly. Sara's eyes fluttered open to meet her own. Both sets were darkened blue with lust. Sara's lips turned up in slow, dimpled smile.

"Wow," Felicity whispered, her eyes moving back toward Sara's moistened lips. She wanted to kiss her again.

Sara must have been testing the waters, waiting for Felicity's reaction. She seemed to get what she wanted, because suddenly, Sara's hand was slipping behind her head, up under her ponytail, to tug her face back to Sara's. This time, their mouths collided in a kiss much more desperate and demanding than their first. Sara sucked Felicity's lower lip in between her own as her other hand found its way to her waist, pushing up under the hoodie to press against the skin there as she tightened her grip.

Felicity almost couldn't think, her brain merely chanted _you're kissing Sara Lance. Sara fucking Lance,_ over and over as if she needed a reminder; as if she could forget. Her own hands reached clumsily for Sara, one landing on Sara's shoulder and the other coming to rest on her hip. While she wished to feel Sara's skin against her fingertips, she was too shy to slip her own hands under Sara's hoodie.

Sara took Felicity's bottom lip gently between her teeth and pulled back slightly, tugging her lip with her. The action made Felicity moan as a dull throbbing began between her legs. Her eyes fluttered open to meet Sara's teasing smile as she released the captured lip.

Felicity surged forward pressing her own smile to Sara's once more, needing to kiss her again. Now that she had started, she didn't know if she could ever stop. She was addicted and Sara's lips were her drug. The hand that had rested on Sara's shoulder trailed up her neck to cup her face, her fingers weaving into the still-wet hair at the base of Sara's haphazard ponytail. She tried to push herself closer, wanting to feel more of Sara, but her hip was uncomfortably pressing into the center console of the car.

Seeming to sense her frustration, the hand that gripped at her waist tugged insistently, and Sara whispered against her lips, "C'mere."

Not sure exactly where she was going, she followed Sara's guidance as the other girl dragged her over the console to clumsily topple down on Sara's body in the driver's seat.

The girls giggled at the less than graceful maneuver, the laughter only adding to how high Felicity felt in this moment.

With Felicity straddling her lap, Sara kept one hand on her hip to keep her steady as she leaned forward, pressing her face into Felicity's neck, and reached her other hand down under the seat to pull the lever that would allow the seat to adjust further back away from the steering wheel, giving them more room.

Felicity yelped in surprise as the seat rolled back suddenly. Sara sunk her teeth lightly into Felicity's neck in response to the cute sound, which made the yelp morph into a breathy moan, before pulling back slightly. She found the other lever on the side of the seat and lowered the back of the chair so that they could be in a more reclined position.

"Is this okay?" Sara asked softly, reaching her hand up to trace her fingertips softly along Felicity's jawline.

Felicity nodded, not able to find her voice. Looking down at Sara beneath her, she was suddenly overcome with emotion. _This_ was what she wanted; to be with Sara in this way, not just as friends, but as _more_. Sara looked so beautiful, gazing up at her with shining eyes through hooded lids, heavy with arousal. The smile she wore at the moment was different from the smiles Felicity had become familiar with over the previous weeks; there was no smugness in it, no teasing or self-satisfaction. It was similar to the smile she wore as she had gazed up at the starry sky earlier that night at the pier; happy, content, hopeful.

She felt Sara drag her nails up her stomach, underneath the oversized hoodie. Sara's hands were warm from the car heater as she palmed each of Felicity's breasts, squeezing them lightly. Felicity clutched onto the back of the seat behind Sara's head to keep herself suspended above the other girl.

Sara stretched her neck up, seeking Felicity's lips again. She kissed her slowly, purposefully, slipping her tongue past Felicity's lips to lick at Felicity's tongue, the inside of her cheek, and the roof of her mouth. At the same time, she squeezed one of Felicity's breasts with one of her hands and rolled the hardened nipple of her other breast in between the thumb and forefinger of her other hand. It was erotic, and Felicity found herself unconsciously grinding down onto Sara's thigh, seeking some ounce of friction to relieve the ache that had built up inside her.

Sara moaned, and Felicity wondered if she could feel how wet she was through the thin material of her running shorts. She felt slightly embarrassed for her own wanton actions, but she didn't care as she felt Sara's hands grip her hips to pull her tighter against her thigh.

Felicity gasped at the feeling of it all, the hard muscle of Sara's thigh, the material of the shorts, her own slickness. She had never felt anything like it; never felt anything this good before. She sucked on Sara's lip as Sara guided her hips back and forth against her thigh, creating the most exquisite friction against her sex.

"God," Felicity moaned, releasing Sara's lip. Her sex pulsed with pleasure.

"Can I touch you?" Sara asked.

Felicity bit her lip and nodded. She hadn't felt ready to go this far with Oliver, but with Sara, it felt right. She wanted Sara to touch her more than she'd ever wanted anything in her entire life.

Sara's hands pushed Felicity up off Sara's thigh, so that Felicity was now kneeling above Sara. Her fingertips ghosted up Felicity's bare thigh, light and tickling. Felicity's breath caught as Sara's fingers neared the hem of her running shorts. Her thighs trembled in anticipation as Sara's fingers finally slipped up through the wide leg of the shorts. Staring down at Sara's face, at her dimpled smile, Felicity knew the other girl was teasing her with her achingly slow movements.

Her hips jerked forward involuntarily, as Sara _finally_ ran her finger along the length of Felicity's wet slit. Sara's thumb pressed lightly against her clit, and Felicity felt shockwaves pulse through her; she thought she saw stars. It felt amazing.

Moaning, she lowered herself slightly, seeking firmer contact, as Sara's fingers began to find a rhythm exploring Felicity's warm, wet folds. After the buildup and the _newness_ of it all, it didn't take long to get Felicity worked up. Sara continued with the pace she'd set, listening as Felicity panted above her, making the most adorable whimpering sounds. As Felicity's breathing became a bit more erratic, Sara increased the speed and pressure of her fingers until Felicity came undone above her with wide eyes and a soft moan.

Felicity's arms finally gave out, and she collapsed on top of Sara, panting. "Wow." She pressed a kiss into Sara's neck.

Sara wiped her hand on her shorts. Her other hand slipped up under the back of Felicity's hoodie to rub her back softly.

Felicity lifted her head and giggled.

"What?" Sara asked huskily with a small, happy smile.

What she didn't say was that a memory had popped into her head about Sara calling Oliver cliché for making out with Felicity in his car. "We fogged up the windows," Felicity replied instead, shifting slightly to give Sara more room in the cramped space.

Sara moaned softly as Felicity's knee pressed lightly into her center. Maybe it was post-orgasm confidence, but she was suddenly feeling much more bold. She pressed her knee more firmly against Sara and watched as Sara bucked up against her, her eyes falling closed at the pleasurable feeling.

Felicity leaned down and whispered against Sara's ear, "I want to touch you."

Sara shivered beneath her. Her newfound confidence made it easy now to slip her hands underneath Sara's hoodie to feel the muscles she had admired on the beach earlier that night. She felt them quiver underneath her fingertips.

Mimicking what Sara had done to her earlier, she squeezed gently at Sara's breasts, wishing she could pull the sweatshirt off so that she could see the other girl laying bare beneath her. She knew that probably wasn't a good idea, since they were in a public parking lot and there was a chance someone could see them.

She leaned forward to press her lips to Sara's, and Sara responded enthusiastically, pushing her hips up to grind herself harder against Felicity's leg. Felicity got the hint; she knew what Sara wanted. Still, she was nervous.

She broke the kiss and said quietly, "I want to touch you the way you touched me… but I've never… done that before."

Sara grinned. "I believe in you," she teased, her own fingers tickling the skin over Felicity's ribs.

Smiling at the vote of confidence, Felicity trailed her hand down Sara's torso to the waistband of her shorts. Because she was nervous, she let the scientist in her take over. Really, this was a learning experience; an experiment examining how best to please Sara Lance sexually.

Observing Sara's reaction, Felicity slipped her fingers past the fabric of the other girl's shorts and slowly drug her finger through Sara's slick folds. Sara's eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head at the touch, her hips shifting up against Felicity's hand. And she was _so_ wet. Felicity couldn't help but feel proud of that discovery, knowing that it was she who had been the cause of it.

Experimentally, she applied pressure to the bundle of nerves at the apex of Sara's thighs.

Sara's dark eyes met hers, and she whispered, "Yes, _there_."

Felicity clumsily drew circles against the bundle of nerves with her thumb as her forefinger teased at Sara's entrance. Sara bucked her hips forward, causing Felicity's finger to dip inside. Sara gasping her name. Felicity pushed more fully into her, feeling Sara's warm, sticky walls squeeze around her finger.

"Feels so good," Sara managed, encouraging Felicity on. Felicity pumped her finger, pressing along Sara's inner wall, earning moan after moan from the other girl. She noted Sara's differing responses when she varied her touch, making sure to repeat the ones that caused the other girl to moan her name. When she combined pumping her finger along Sara's inner wall with firm pressure to her clit, Sara came with Felicity's name on her lips.

Immediately, Sara was pulling Felicity down to her to connect their mouths in a lazy, satiated kiss.

When they broke the kiss, Felicity asked shyly, "Was that okay?"

Sara smiled and reached up to tuck a strand of Felicity's hair that had managed to come loose from her ponytail behind her ear. "It was perfect."

Felicity sighed, relieved and happy. She lay down, wedged in between Sara and the center console of the car and wrapped her arm loosely across Sara's stomach. She buried her face in Sara's neck and hoped she'd be able to do this again sometime; that it wasn't just a one-time thing.

Outside the rain continued to pound against the windows and roof of the car.

The last thing Felicity felt before she drifted off to sleep was Sara's arms encircling her waist and pulling her closer into her body.

 _Jesus Christ can't save me tonight  
Put on your dress, yes wear something nice  
Decide on me, yea decide on us_

* * *

 **A/N: This is only the second time I've ever written smut, so I'd really appreciate some feedback on that scene as well as on the rest of the chapter!**

 **A HUGE thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, or left a review on this story! Please continue to do so; I love to hear what you guys think!**

 **-H.M. :)**


End file.
